


My Fake Fiancè

by Strawmari



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fake Marriage, magic mick, nothing ever goes according to plan, there's only one bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:41:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25489426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawmari/pseuds/Strawmari
Summary: When desperation hits, Beth and Rio decide to fake their engagement[Beth plopped down in her seat, placing the flowers off to her right side and tried her best to ignore the shit eating grin from Rio. She couldn't, "what?"."Nothin, just wonderin' who the lucky guy is".]
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio, Gregg/Annie Marks, Ruby Hill/Stan Hill
Comments: 187
Kudos: 580





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is loosely based on a movie my fake fiancè (2009). It's one of my favorite rom-coms and if you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it!
> 
> This is 80% written so hopefully the updates are faster than MITWU. Hopefully.
> 
> I also made a graphic for the fic if you're interested in my photoshop skills lol  
> https://twitter.com/rriiiiissa/status/1286716900760788992?s=19
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!!

After seven years Beth was finally saying yes to herself and walking away from her no good, cheating boyfriend. It wasn't a rash decision, it had been on her mind for awhile. She started skimming over ads in the local newspaper for an apartment across town, figuring she would be less likely to go back to him if there was distance.

In the beginning Dean was great. He was everything she had hoped for in a partner: caring, respectful and he could make laugh with terrible dad jokes. Beth thought she was ready to settle down, maybe have a kid or two and move out to the countryside like they talked about in the early stages of their relationship. 

Then her picture perfect world came crumbling down. 

He cheated on her with their neighbor. In their bed. On her birthday. It was the ultimate betrayal of her trust and love. Annie wanted to chop his dick off and honestly, it wasn't the worst idea she's ever had. But Beth took it as a wakeup call. They might've had love for each other, but they weren't in love anymore and it was time for one of them to walk away for good. Beth wanted that person to be her. So she did.

She started by taking small items from their house. A hairbrush, family photos and a pair of tennis shoes she had only worn a couple times. Ruby let her store them in their garage for the time being, just until she got back on her feet.

The perfect apartment came up for grabs and Beth immediately got in contact with the landlord. It had one bed, one bath and fit into her budget. She met up with them after work that Friday to sign the six month lease. 

Ruby helped her pack up the rest of her stuff while Dean was at work. The last few items included a coffee machine and her collection of throw pillows. She believed nobody could ever have enough of them. Actually, she considered buying more once everything was set up. She could always use more than six.

'I deserve better Dean. It's over'. Beth looked over the note one last time before tapping it to the freezer door. 

_"No peeking, Bethie"._

_She laughed, holding her hands on top of his. "Can I look now?"._

_"Not quite. We're almost there"._

_Dean had been secretive all week long, so Beth didn't know what to expect when he picked her up from school and said he had a surprise._

_They drove for about thirty minutes before he pulled to the curb. As soon as she got out of the car, he cupped his hands over her eyes and started to direct her on where to go._

_"Take one more step"._

_Beth felt around with her foot until she found the stair. "Okay, open your eyes. You like it?"._

_It was a cozy two room with a washer and dryer. She knew it was theirs when he handed her the second set of keys._

_"I love it and look at the kitchen"_

_Dean followed after her, "you'll get a lot of use out of it"._

They were happy once.

There was so much more to her than being arm candy at fundraisers. Life was too short to sit around and be miserable.

Dean didn't even notice that her clothes vanished from their closet. She guessed that was further proof of her insignificance in his life. If he really loved her like he said he did, wouldn't he have been blowing up her phone, begging for her forgiveness. Maybe that was just in the movies. 

Beth locked the door behind her, closing the door on her past life once and for all.

Annie was nice enough to let her crash at their place until her apartment was ready. The landlord said it would be about five days before she could move in. The previous tenants were still in the process of boxing up their stuff and they didn't feel the need to rush them. Five days seemed doable so she didn't fret. 

Annie was getting married over the weekend anyways to her highschool sweetheart, so Beth would have the place to herself while they were on their honeymoon. Greg was loaded, so they booked their trip to Hawaii shortly after their engagement and even bought the spray sunblock.

Sand beneath her toes did sound pretty therapeutic.

Annie was elated that Beth kicked Dean to the curb, it was all she ever wanted, so thrilled that she moved Beth to the single's table at her reception. But it got better than that. Greg, wanting to one up his fiancè, went through his friends list and found someone he thought she would be compatible with, as if nothing could be worse than a blind date at a wedding. Annie clapped excitedly, almost seal-like, wondering why she hadn't thought of it sooner.

They were adamant about her meeting that guy, listing out reason after reason why it would be worth her time.

"He owns a bar and you love bourbon".

Beth rolled her eyes, "so I should date half of Detroit? I'm not looking for a rebound".

"Then bone him. It's been a long time, baby girl".

It seemed too early to toss herself back into the ring. Seven years. Seven years she wasted on Dean and what did she get in return? A broken heart.

They carried on for another ten minutes while Beth prepared the couch. She only heard bits and pieces, but they were determined to let her know that he was a good guy. Beth caved and they reached a compromise. She would sit beside Greg's friend at the reception, but she wouldn't commit to a date. 

They were fine with that. Annie actually rescinded Dean's invitation seconds after Beth arrived at the house, telling him not to even bother showing up because he was no longer welcome.

Annie dyed the tips of her hair blue the night before the wedding as a big fuck you to Greg's parents who felt that he could do better. Out of all the girls in his highschool, he had to knock up the one with the father that worked two jobs and still struggled to keep their family afloat. Not everyone was as privileged as them. The act was on brand for her sister, the more chaotic the better and Greg didn't have a problem with it.

Their gowns were peach with an extremely large flower on the hip. It was the result of free mimosas while they browsed the selection of gowns. They preferred antique shops to bougie boutiques any day, but it was Greg's mother's idea, and the only way Annie was getting through that was by downing flute after flute of the expensive champagne concoction, and damn it was good.

_"I'm not so sure that dress works with your figure"._

_"I'll take it, and three more of these" Annie said, holding up an empty glass, "thanks!"._

Beth was the maid of honor and walked down the aisle with Greg's brother. The name was lost on her, but she believed it was Jeremy or maybe it was Todd. It just went to show how little time their families actually spent together.

Their mom was in the front row and she was twisting her body to get photos of Beth walking down the aisle. They all swore she would never get married. After all her younger sister beat her to the altar and she abruptly ended her longest relationship, it didn't exactly seem like a long shot.

They lectured her for hours after they heard the news, reminding her that her biological clock was ticking and they wanted more than one grandchild. 

The wedding march began to play and Annie slowly made her way to the front, arm linked with their father. She looked beautiful and Beth found herself getting a little choked up. When they were little, they would have pretend weddings and neither of them wanted to be the bride. They would play rock, paper, scissors and Annie would always lose. Beth was okay with being the bridesmaid, that did get costly though the older she got. People tended to invite everyone they knew and she had a hard time turning people down. 

Their father handed Annie off to Greg with a handshake and a hard pat on the shoulder. Ben was his best man, something everyone thought was precious. Beth found herself blinking away tears as Ben handed his dad the wedding ring. Annie might've gotten the mother in law from hell, but in the process she made herself a cute little family.

They soon departed to a nearby convention center where the reception was being held. Beth tried to prepare herself for the onslaught of questions heading her way. She knew that her family was thinking of them during the ceremony, dying to bombard her with them the second they had a chance, which her aunt Claudia took to mean cornering her in the buffet line.

"When are you getting married, dear?".

Beth stood there frozen with nothing but a lump of potatoes and chicken on her plate, "I – it's actually".

"You save me a seat, mama?" A man came up from behind her with a plate of his own. She had never seen that guy before in her life. He had on a black suit jacket, no tie and a neck tattoo that screamed conversation starter. 

He was giving her an out and she planned on taking it. The only way out of this uncomfortable situation was to throw herself into another one. "Yeah. Annie had to move us to the back table at the last second".

"Cool. Cool".

Claudia looked him over, lips pressed into a thin line at his lack of formalwear, "and who's this?".

"This is my –".

"Rio" he provided, extending his hand and her aunt reluctantly shook it, quickly losing interest in their previous conversation.

The man – Rio, followed her back to the table and sat down beside her. Beth was thankful for his help, she really was, but there usually was a limit to someone's generosity and she imagined he had better things to do than pretend to be her boyfriend for the rest of the evening. "You don't have to stay here. They'll stay away for a couple hours. Thank you though, I'd happily return the favor".

He smiled, turning the place card around so that she could read the name. 

"Wait, you're Greg's friend?" 

Rio hummed, lightly tapping his fingers on his glass, "Elizabeth, yeah?".

"Everyone calls me Beth".

"That's what you like?".

All throughout school it was always Beth, even the substitute teachers would shorten her name automatically. Dean stuck with Bethie, Ruby shortened it to B and Annie loved to call everyone baby girl.

_"Why do you keep calling him Deansie?"._

_"Why do you let him call you, Bethie?" Annie stuck her tongue out in disgust, "it's nauseating"._

Beth never really considered that question before, but she didn't mind the way it rolled off his tongue, "Elizabeth's fine".

Annie and Greg took center stage and once again thanked everyone for coming out, letting them know how much it meant to them that they took the long drive up north for the ceremony. Then it came time for the bouquet toss.

The timeless tradition of unmarried women huddling together on the floor, bumping into each other like they were involved in a mosh pit just so they could believe their wedding would be next.

Ruby eagerly went to the front of the group, already aware that Stan was waiting for the right time to pop the question. They had been together since they were fifteen and had a kid on the way. Beth on the other hand dragged her feet to the crowd of women and settled somewhere in the middle, hoping to be hidden well enough that the bouquet would get snatched up before it had the chance to reach her.

"One, two, three" Annie yelled, tossing the flowers over her right shoulder. She turned around and watched as it gracefully flew through the air.

It went over Ruby's head and brushed the tips of their cousin's fingers before falling into Beth's hands. The guests cheered and a few of Annie's coworkers from Fine and Frugal gave her congratulatory pats on the back. 

Beth plopped down in her seat, placing the flowers off to her right side and tried her best to ignore the shit eating grin from Rio. She couldn't, "what?".

"Nothin, just wonderin' who the lucky guy is".

"Bite me" it was childish and a staple in Annie's vocabulary but there was only so much that she could take. Their parents started wedding funds for them when they turned thirteen and it seemed like all of her friends were either getting married or engaged.

Everyone was waiting for her to get ten cats and call it a day. Some even called her out on her love of knitting and how she had storage boxes full because there could never be enough color options. So what if she wanted to have both teal and navy on hand, sometimes she changed direction in the middle of a project.

Beth wasn't a spinster, her time would come and she would be ready for it when it did. "I mean, what's the point of a wedding anyways? If you love someone, why do you need a piece of paper to prove it?".

Rio hummed again, "the gifts? Money makes people do some stupid shit".

"No, you're probably right. I've spent thousands on gifts this year because if you wait too long, all the cheap stuff on the registry is gone".

"We should get married" Rio suggested and Beth's head whipped in his direction, eyes widened in disbelief that he hadn't retained a single word she said all night. Was he another one of those horny toads who pretended to listen but was really staring at her breasts, because she dealt with enough of those at work.

"Nah" he breathed a laugh, "jus' sayin return the gifts for cash and ya got yourself a good scheme".

"I'm not that desperate yet".

They talked for a bit after that about their lives and what they each did for a living. Rio owned a bar on the eastside of Detroit, one she had never heard of but promised to visit one day. Her and Ruby were always looking for a nice spot to hang out and she was sold when he mentioned that there was a pool table. That was her game and she was pretty good at it.

"What do you do?" He asked, downing the rest of his bourbon. How could Beth forget about the best part of receptions, the free booze. There was nothing better than an open bar, especially when the hosts knew to have an abundance of her favorite and as luck would have it, it was Rio's poison as well.

"I'm a hostess at Lucky's, the restaurant over on Elm".

"My boys love the brownies they got over there". 

"I make those," Beth had a dream of starting her own bakery, but it was just that, a dream. Just because she saved money and put it on a vision board didn't make it a reality. When her boss found out that she baked as a side hustle, they asked if she wanted to put some of her treats in their display case for a portion of the profit. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up so she agreed. She couldn't continue to live off tips and minimum wage for the rest of her life.

"Damn mama, you need your own place".

_Dean rounded the kitchen island, digging into the different desserts laid out on the counter. "This one's good. What is it?"._

_"Lemon" she swat at his hand, "and they're for your dad. Stop eating them"._

_His father had a heart attack and was recovering at home. Being the good girlfriend that she was, Beth baked all of his favorites from scratch. Lemon bars, maple crumble, chocolate chip cookies, she made them all._

_Dean gave her a quick kiss on the lips and grabbed a peanut butter cookie from across the way, "this one's good too"._

"I –" Beth began, only to be interrupted by Annie. She squatted beside her chair and told her that they needed to take family photos and apparently Beth couldn't get out of it.

The family gathered in front of the fountain while the photographer moved them around to where he wanted them. Between kneeling, jumping and smiling, Beth's feet started to hurt and she wanted nothing more than to kick off her heels and enjoy another ice cold drink. 

The photos took longer than expected. Greg's parents upgraded their package at the last minute so that extended family was included. It became a whole thing with second cousins and the friends of the family. Annie had no idea how they managed to hijack that portion of the wedding.

Rio was gone by the time she got back inside. She was a little disappointed, it was nice talking to someone who saw her for who she was. Looking around the room, Beth hoped that he went to get a refill at the bar, but deep down she knew he wasn't. Only the immediate family stuck around after the first hour.

There had been talk of a move in delay with her apartment, something about the cleaning crew falling ill. They didn't give Beth specifics, but said it would be two days max and they would give her a ten dollar gift card for her troubles. 

Greg stopped by before they took off to hand her the keys to their house, that way she could stay if she needed to and if not, they wanted her to stop by to water their one plant that was closer to death then they wanted to believe. Ben tried to save it, he did, but it would need a miracle to bring it back to life. "Oh and Rio wanted me to give this to you".

She hated how she perked up at his name. 

Greg pulled a napkin from his suit pocket, "think you guys hit it off. I'll see you in a week".

"Thank you. Have fun, and don't let her get eaten by sharks".

Knowing Annie, she probably signed them up for a cage viewing or something equally as reckless. They were bringing Ben along, so maybe that would limit their honeymoon to family friendly activities, like, the zoo or a museum. Who was she kidding, Annie hated museums. 

Beth unfolded the napkin and made out a phone number in sharpie. There was a note written below in messy scrawl that brought a smile to her face, "if you need to get married".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to MoneyraindownonU for reading through my rambles and helping me split this all up! Ur awesome!!
> 
> Thanks again for reading and for any kudos/comments you may leave. I would love to hear your thoughts. I'm also on tumblr @ xstrawmari


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "if you need to get married"....there was only one way to find out if Rio was serious or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left a comment on chapter 1. I loved reading them and they are very, very much appreciated. 
> 
> I'm hoping to update every 3 days (might change if a drabble or MITWU post finishes up beforehand)
> 
> If anyone wanted to know roughly what their ages were, this is what I had in mind while writing it: Annie/Greg 26, Beth/Ruby/Stan 31, Rio 29, Ben is 10 and Dean 33
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!!

It was awfully quiet without Annie snacking on popcorn at all hours of the night. Beth actually found herself missing it. It reminded her of their childhood and how they would sneak down the stairs to rummage through the refrigerator for leftover pizza, then hide under the covers with a portable dvd player they got for Christmas.

_"Shh, Annie. You'll wake dad up"._

_They tiptoed past their parent's room and came to a sudden halt in the middle of the hallway when the floor creaked. Once their father's snores resumed, they continued down the stairs._

_"I want cereal"._

_Beth climbed up on the step stool to grab a bowl from the cupboard and poured some of Annie's favorite boo-berries into it, topping it off with a generous amount of milk._

Beth couldn't sleep so she decided to track their flight until they landed in Honolulu. They had a three hour layover in Los Angeles and Ben flooded her phone with pictures of Greg dozing off in the chairs. Once she confirmed that they made it to their hotel, Beth laid back down and tried to fall asleep. It was a little after midnight by that point and she found herself looking over at her purse, tempted to text Rio just so that she would have someone to talk too, but she held off.

She woke up bright and early to pick up the uhaul rental. It was an interesting experience to say the least. She may have driven over a curb or two on the way to Ruby's house, but hey, she made it there in one piece so it wasn't a total disaster. Ruby's doctor told her not to lift anything over forty pounds now that she was in her second trimester, so she stuck to the light boxes labeled kitchen and bedroom. 

Stan did the brunt of the work, getting all of her furniture into the vehicle before he left for work. He grabbed the left side of the ottomon and instructed Beth to lift with her legs.

That was the first piece of furniture that she removed from the house. It was a gift from her mom that was supposed to bring them nothing but luck and happiness. She guessed the luck wore out.

_"We just don't have room for this, Dean" Beth said, placing her hand on the side of a large grandfather's clock that took up half of their living room._

_She sat through an hour long story from his parents about how it came from Europe and made its way to America on the Mayflower. None of that mattered. There was no space for it in their tiny apartment._

_"I stub my toes on it every night"._

_Dean huffed, annoyed that they were once again having the same argument, "give Annie that ottoman. You don't use it and then we can put the clock in the corner of our room"._

Beth was glad that she stood her ground. The clock ended up getting shipped to his uncle on the west coast, wrapped in bubble wrap and duct tape. 

In lieu of cash, the Hills were accepting payment in the form of her locally famous cinnamon rolls.

"Extra cinnamon" Ruby reminded her as she went back into the garage for their final set of boxes.

Beth laughed, "I won't forget".

It was one of Ruby's many pregnancy cravings.

The landlord picked the worst day to let her move into her new place. It was another scorcher in Detroit where the temperatures topped ninety degrees and the humidity made it feel like over a hundred. All she wanted to do was turn the air conditioning on full blast.

There was one small downside to the place. In all her excitement, she misread the fine print at the bottom of the ad and didn't realize the apartment was unfurnished. 

Beth did manage to drag the mattress out, but left behind the bed frame because they went fifty-fifty on it and she didn't want to seem heartless. Although he deserved to have it all taken away from him after how he treated her. Eh, at least she wouldn't be sleeping on the hard floor like they did all the time when they were kids. They did camping a little differently in the Marks house.

"B, you're gonna want to see this".

Beth dropped her box on the sidewalk when she saw that the moving truck was gone.

"I think we left the keys in the ignition".

Everything that she was able to take from her old place was gone except for the two boxes they had with them. Beth quickly ripped the packaging tape off, hoping that one of them would be her coffee machine. It wasn't. It was a milk frother, a set of forks and three throw pillows. 

She filed a police report but they weren't much help. The officer basically told her that even if they were to find the truck, chances were that her stuff wouldn't be inside. 

Dropping her head, Beth unlocked the door to her new place. It was supposed to be a fresh start, a way for her to take back her life and now she found herself sitting in the middle of her empty living room surrounded by pillows.

Ruby apologized for the mistake, but it wasn't her fault someone decided to try their hand at robbery. It could've happened to anyone.

Beth tore off a flap from the box and began to write an inventory of what was stolen. It was hard to remember what she took from the house and what she left behind. By the time she was done, the list had covered both sides.

She felt absolutely ridiculous walking around the store with a large piece of cardboard. Why didn't she just type up the list on her memo app? It was too late now. 

"There's an easier way to do that you know" the employee said, gesturing to her list. "It's all electronic now. All you have to do is take this, point it at a bar code and we'll get you a list".

Beth didn't feel the need to correct the woman. After all she was just there to price items, why couldn't she take the easy route?

The woman walked her through how to use the scanner and sent her on her way. At first Beth kept to the list: a replacement coffee maker would be $109, bath towels were $6 and a new bed would set her back at least $2,000. 

Within minutes something came over Beth and she started scanning anything and everything in sight. Did she need two bed options? No. Did she need a $600 towel warmer? God, no, but it was there and she couldn't help herself. 

It was her own personal heaven when she made her way to the kitchen appliances. Beth pointed the gun at blenders, toasters and even a popcorn machine. She lost track of time and didn't notice how many items she added to her wish list until the sales representative printed out her registry. Beth's eyes went wide when she saw that the total was over $24,000.

"Sometimes it pays to get married" the woman wrote congratulations on the bottom of the page and added a smiley face. 

Beth didn't accomplish anything that evening other than walking out of the store with a wedding registry. She had gotten so caught up in the moment, no wonder why Annie said that was the best part about planning a wedding. She felt it, it gave her quite the adrenaline rush.

She ordered take out and attempted to pay her bills. It was in that moment that she realized there was no way she could afford to replace everything at once without winning the lottery. It would take thousands of dollars to even replenish half of her lost property. Unless...

Beth slid the wedding registry out from underneath the stack of bills. When there was a will, there was a way.

She reached into her purse and found the now crumpled napkin from Annie's wedding. It had been a couple of days since they last spoke and she wondered if he even remembered her. How could he not? It wasn't every day that people got set up at weddings. At least it wasn't for her.

Getting married had always been on Beth's bucket list. It was somewhere near owning her own bakery and taking a trip to Fiji, but it wasn't something she actively thought about. She wasn't like Ruby. And maybe she didn't have magazine cutouts lying around because she didn't see herself marrying Dean. 

The craziest idea came to her and it was actually Rio's comments about exchanging gifts for cash that triggered it. Annie's gifts alone were over $28,000 and there was a lot she could do with that money. 

She could finally open the bakery that she's dreamed of. It would have green shutters on the windows and vases filled with fresh flowers at the center of every table. Rio said his boys liked her brownies, that could be an incentive to help her out. She wondered how old his kids were. Her god son Ben was ten and insanely smart, they always wondered who he got his brains from. 

Beth dialed his number and let her finger hover over the call button. It was certifiably insane, but if they could pull it off it would be the answer to all her financial troubles. The hell with it. What was the worst that could happen? He turns her down and Beth prays that she doesn't run into him at another wedding down the line.

She waited and waited until he finally picked up with a low, "yo".

"Hi, it's Beth – Elizabeth, from the wedding".

"Hey, mama".

"Do you remember our talk about how we spend a fortune on weddings?" Beth decided to ease into it just in case it was a joke and he wasn't open to scamming all their family and friends.

"Yea".

"Well I'm desperate" maybe she wasn't easing into it after all. It completely slipped her mind that the majority of her wardrobe was in the moving truck and she would have to spend money on that too. She couldn't wear the same frumpy sweater to work everyday. The restaurant had a strict dress code that required her to wear black slacks and a green polyester shirt.

She pulled the phone away from her ear to make sure the call didn't drop. It hadn't. "Hello?".

"I'm a little tapped out myself. Alright, let's do it".

"Yeah?" Beth said excitedly, only to clear her throat to play it cool. "Ok, yeah. Do you want to meet at your bar or–".

Rio chuckled, "bar. Eight work for you?".

"Eight's fine".

Beth was always punctual and got to the bar at 7:25. She ordered her first bourbon of the night, feeling out of place in her holey sweater and jeans. She needed to make time to go shopping sometime during the week. While it would be freeing, Beth had a feeling that her going braless at work wouldn't go over well with upper management. 

She moved her wrist, watching as the brown liquid sloshed around in the glass.

There were still a few minutes left until the clock struck 8PM. The stool beside her moved and Rio sat down in the most unorthodox way she had ever seen. He kind of straddled the stool from the side so that he would be facing her, "so how you wanna do this?".

He waved down the bartender and ordered two more bourbons, letting her know that whatever she wanted was on the house and that only encouraged Beth to stick around longer than she originally planned. Not that she had a plan going into the night. For the first time in her life she was completely winging it.

"I googled how it works and" she paused to pull her phone out of her purse and placed it between them on the bar top. "The gifts have to be returned if the wedding is called off".

"We have to go through with it?".

"Yes. But–but we only have to be married for a year then we can do a quickie divorce".

If someone else were pitching Beth the same idea, she would've turned them down seven comments ago, but Rio continued to read over her notes. "Twenty thousand, huh?".

"Give or take, that's about what Annie walked away with".

Rio's bottom lip jutted out, impressed by the figure in front of him.If they were to split it, that would take care of Beth's situation and give him enough to pay back the loan shark.

From the age of fifteen to twenty six he was involved with an eastside gang. He didn't know any better since his dad and cousin were involved, it seemed like the thing to do. One of his teachers sat him down and told him he had potential, that he would wind up dead if he continued on that path and Rio didn't want that for himself. So he took the exit beating, healed his broken ribs and got out. 

_"You know that it's blood in, blood out, Rio"._

He had been on the straight and narrow until about a year ago. His mom was an avid gambler and on top of losing her money, she was about to lose her house. It was impossible to take care of it on his own while paying back a bank loan, so he reached out to his old boss.

Rio borrowed $11,000 to pay off her credit cards, past due mortgage payments and set up an account that would cover her monthly expenses. The only reason his ex-employer gave him the loan was because he hoped Rio would wake up and realize his potential within their organization. It was high interest and he was busting his ass to cover it along with his own bills, that's why he went along with the plan.

"We would add what we need –" Beth noticed that Rio's eyes were no longer on her and instead he was spacing off over her shoulder. She twisted her upper body to see what had stolen his attention. 

She saw a man on the shorter side with slicked back brunette hair and a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Two taller, lean men stood closely behind him, both of which had mustaches and leather jackets. "Rio?".

"Follow my lead".

Beth sat petrified as the three men weaved through the crowd in their direction. It was the shorter guy who stepped forward first, pulling his suit jacket back to expose a black pistol. It was like a movie. Beth was living in one of those thrillers that ended badly for every character, the ones where the audience screamed at the leading lady to get the hell out of the building.

Despite what was happening before her very eyes, she believed that Rio was innocent. If he needed her to play along, then she would dig deep into her highschool play days and give a performance of a lifetime. Even if he was guilty that was none of her concern. Beth needed his help and that was reason enough to help him out. 

"Who's the lady? I would hate to make her sweep your brains off the floor".

"My fiancè. You'll get the money after our wedding".

The short man chortled, scratching the back of his neck as if that were the last thing he expected Rio to say. "I've known you for eleven years Rio. You've never been serious. What's your name, princess?".

Don't answer that. Whatever you do don't answer that, she thought to herself. 

"Beth Marks".

Dammit.

Beth knew that she made a mistake when Rio's jaw visibly tightened and he reached for her hand. The initial contact startled her and she yanked her hand away, only for him to feel for it again. This time Beth let him.

The leader, who she found out from his lackeys was named Carlito, pulled the gun from his waistband and waved it in front of them in reckless fashion. Beth gasped, instinctively stepping closer to Rio.

She just wanted a bed, she didn't want to die.

"Kiss her," Carlito demanded, keeping the gun on them.

Beth sputtered, "I–we don't like public–".

"You're gonna have to kiss in front of your family, call this practice".

Beth felt him press the barrel of the gun to her back the second she faced Rio. She swallowed hard and pushed up on her toes, rashly pecking his lips. The sounds of disapproval behind them cut through the music overhead, a clear indication that Carlito didn't believe their charade. "Like you mean it. That's how Dags would kiss his ma".

Even though she was frustrated, Beth once again pressed her lips to Rio's, less hesitant than the time before since the gun was no longer on her. She found herself leaning into him, deepening the kiss as his hand rested on the small of her back.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Beth softly moaned into the kiss when his tongue slipped between her lips and brushed her own.

She broke away and smiled shyly, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. They had an audience. Not just Carlito and his crew, but a couple patrons as well. Rio licked his lips and dived back in for another kiss, bumping her face in the process.

Carlito applauded, a sadistic grin plastered on his face, "I'll have chicken. You didn't expect me to miss the wedding now did ya? We're family Rio".

They left through the back door and Rio ordered them a couple celebratory shots of tequila. Beth remained standing, touching her lips as she replayed the last three minutes. 

Beth figured the men knew where Rio lived and that they would be waiting for him to return. Wasn't that how failed shakedowns happened in the movies? It wouldn't be safe for him to go home, and even though Rio undoubtedly could hold his own in a fair battle, Beth found herself offering, "I'm parked across the street. Do you wanna come back to my place?".

Rio pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and gave a slow nod, "yea".


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth found herself offering, "I'm parked across the street. Do you wanna come back to my place?".
> 
> Rio pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and gave a slow nod, "yea".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments on the last chapter. I loved reading them ❤
> 
> There's some slightly, but not really 'graphic' stuff in Rio's flashback, so if that's not for you it begins with [we're gonna take it easy] and ends with [it'd be a shame]
> 
> Thanks for reading & I hope you enjoy!

Rio watched on in amusement as Beth impatiently pressed the crosswalk button, both knowing it did absolutely nothing and that the signs would turn on schedule. She wanted to get out of dodge before Carlito and his men returned. 

When the orange hand disappeared, they all but ran across the street toward her black Honda. It had dents on the bumper and a long key scratch across the back passenger door. It had certainly seen better days but it was Beth's prized possession. She saved money from her dairy queen gig in high school to pay for it.

Rio apparently had the same thoughts that she did. The second they got into the car, he glanced over his shoulder to ensure they hadn't been followed.

Beth waited for a red truck to pass before she turned on her signal and pulled away from the curb. It took her long enough to get her license and she didn't want to risk getting a ticket for some stupid traffic violation. Despite sharing a kiss not even ten minutes ago, the drive was quiet and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, except for the fact that Beth had a burning question that she wanted to ask. So she did. "Who was that guy?".

She didn't expect an answer and knew he didn't owe her one, but Beth wanted to know what she unwillingly got herself involved with. The man had a gun for crying out loud and had no problem pulling it out in the middle of a crowded bar. Damn Michigan and their lax gun laws.

"Borrowed some money for my ma's bills, ain't exactly got cash lyin' around to pay him back". 

She appreciated his honesty, so much so that she wanted to come clean about her own problems. Beth considered telling him when they stopped at the second red light, but figured what was the point since he was going back to her place anyways. The furniture wouldn't randomly appear before they got there. There was no avoiding that conversation. 

Beth pulled into her assigned parking space and led the way to the second floor. The elevator was broken which was a big inconvenience. She opened the door, letting Rio enter first once the lights were on.

"Think you got robbed ma".

"Yeah," Beth said, surprisingly calm given her current situation. She dropped her keys onto the bare counter, leaning against it while she tried to determine what she felt comfortable sharing with someone who was essentially still a stranger. "The moving truck with all my stuff was stolen, so I'm living in an empty apartment until I can afford it all".

"Damn".

"Yeah" she softly agreed. He probably wasn't used to being taken back to a woman's house only to find out there was literally nothing there. And if it were a competition, he probably would have won by a landslide. "So uh, the bathroom is through those doors and I'll find you a place to sleep".

A brief, unrecognizable look flashed across his face. It wasn't disappointment, but it was certainly more than confusion as to why she invited him over in the first place. 

"I'm not ready yet" Beth found herself admitting, hoping that he knew it wasn't meant to be a one night stand. She learned over the years that she sucked at keeping it casual. Feelings always developed and then someone, namely her, would get hurt and find solace in a pint of rocky road ice cream.

"Elizabeth we're good, trust me".

She gave a slow nod and went to grab a pillow for him while he showered. There were no towels and the only shampoo she had belonged to Ruby. It was strawberry and would have to work as body wash until she got back to the store. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that by the end of the night Rio would regret going along with this plan.

Rio came out of the bathroom in black briefs, his shirt draped over his shoulder and jeans in hand. 

It may have been six months since she last had sex, but that didn't explain the almost squeak like sound that escaped her lips. He had visible abs that weren't overly defined, a long silver chain that laid perfectly on his chest and a few faded scars scattered across his abdomen. There was a particularly large one on his side that looked painful. 

She swallowed hard, twisting her water bottle cap when they locked eyes.

"Initiation at fifteen".

"They actually do that?" Beth asked, unable to stop herself from looking at the scar again. She knew Hollywood's portrayal of gangs and their rituals, but members didn't exactly hang out in Detroit's suburbs so she didn't have any first hand knowledge of it. Hell, no one told her that Rio was involved.

_"We're gonna take it easy on you Rio, for your dad's memory"._

_Initiations weren't supposed to be a fair fight. They were done to give boys a chance to prove their worth and dedication to the gang because it wasn't a place for chumps. Carlito couldn't have them running off to the cops when the going got rough. Because it would. That was the one guarantee in that life._

_It was 10pm on a Saturday. Rio remembered vividly how eight men surrounded him at an abandoned park just past the railroad tracks. There were plans for it to be demolished and the lot turned into apartment buildings, but the gang planned on using the lot for their initiations until that time came._

_The first blow was to the back of his head from his own cousin. Ricky wanted to prove that blood didn't just extend to family, it was the reason he got promoted. The seven others pummeled him the second he hit the pavement, acting on Carlito's orders. Go easy on him, ha, that wasn't the case at all._

_Rio swung. And swung. Fighting cause his life depended on it. His dad used to tell him stories when he was younger about pledges, as they called them, who died during the process. They were left in the park for the cops to find. Rio didn't want to be another body._

_He tackled one of the men and kept connecting his fists with the guy's face, blood caking his knuckles until Carlito pulled him off and welcomed him to the family._

_Emanuel, the man who got the brunt of Rio's anger, didn't take too kindly to that and pulled a knife, slashing Rio on the side._

_The pain ripped through him, it was nothing like fighting eight grown men. Rio fell to the gravel, applying as much pressure as he could in his fragile state._

_Rio must've blacked out because the next thing he knew, he was lying on someone's couch with bloody paper towels gathered on a table in front of him._

_Her name was Rhea. She was Carlito's neighbor and amateur surgeon due to all the injuries she got stuck with._

_"He got you good. I stitched you up like brand new though" she said, noticing that he was awake from her chair._

_"Thanks, fuck" Rio hissed when he tried to sit up and Rhea rushed over to help him._

_"Easy. Are you that eager to get yourself killed?"._

_"Nah"._

_Rhea smiled brightly, letting her hand linger on his side, "good. It'd be a shame"._

"Do you still work for him?".

He shook his head, "got out after eleven years. I ain't ashamed of it".

"I'm glad you did. That you got out".

"Oh yeah?".

Beth nodded the best she could and it wasn't just because of their arrangement. If he were still involved with the gang, they most likely wouldn't have met at the wedding and that would've sucked.

She quickly pulled off her sweater, flushing when she caught him looking. His tongue darted out over his bottom lip before glancing up at the ceiling to give her some privacy. Fair was fair. Beth had checked him out.

Beth used her sweater as a blanket, laying it over her chest so that she wouldn't freeze in the night. It also made for easy removal so that she wouldn't be drenched in sweat when she woke up either. No one ever knew what they would get with Detroit's weather and she would rather be safe than sorry. 

Rio was about five feet away from her. The hard floor probably paled in comparison to his otherwise comfortable and cozy bed, but at least he would be safe and Beth had a feeling he understood her motives. 

The sun beat through the windows and Rio cursed under his breath, burying his face in the small red pillow. He opened one eye, taking in his surroundings. Right, he was at Beth's place and it lacked everything from food to curtains. 

When he rolled over, he found her pillows neatly piled up by the kitchen island. She was gone. "Elizabeth?".

"Elizabeth, where you at?" Rio sat up, all of a sudden feeling pain in every part of his body. He wasn't ten anymore and sleeping on the floor now hurt like a bitch.

There was no response. No water running in the bathroom and her sweater was tossed carelessly by the front door. Panic set in and Rio rushed to grab his phone from his pants pocket, scrolling until he found her number.

Every worst case scenario came to mind. Did he miss a tail and Carlito followed them back to her place? What if one of his underlings broke into her apartment in the middle of the night and snatched her? Kidnapping was a scare tactic Carlito loved to use in order to get his money back. How could he be so fucking stupid?

Rio grew more worried with each second that she didn't pick up.

"Hello?".

A small wave of relief washed over him when he heard her voice. "Elizabeth, you fine?".

Then he heard the sounds of pots and pans clanging about in the background and instantly felt foolish, "your at work".

"Yeah, I'm off at four. I could um, bring food home if you'll be there".

"Sounds good, ma".

Wanting to pay Beth back for her generosity, Rio planned to drop by the bar to make sure Mick had the morning shift under control and then head to the store so that she would at least have food in her refrigerator. It was the least he could do.

He picked her up the basic necessities: some meat, vegetables and eggs, even going as far as to get ingredients for tiramisu. It was his mom's specialty and while it probably wasn't on the same level as Beth's creations, he prided himself on knowing his way around the kitchen when he wanted to.

_"Dip the ladyfingers into the mix Rio. Fast, we don't want them to get soggy"._

_Rio stood up on the step ladder, one hand resting on the counter to keep his balance while the other put half the dessert into the espresso mixture._

_His mom Maria volunteered to bake for his aunt's bridal shower and to keep Rio off the streets, even at six years old, they made him stay in the kitchen._

_"Can I play with Ricky?"._

_Maria bent her knees so that she would be at eye level, "promise me you won't follow in your father's footsteps"._

_"I won't"._

_She brushed some sugar off of his cheek, "your grandpa used to say this dessert meant you loved someone"._

_When Rio lost interest in their conversation, Maria let him play with the neighborhood kids, still fearful that he would get mixed up with the rough crowd that hung around the corner._

Beth strolled in a little after five and placed the takeout bags on the counter, "I hope you like ravioli. It's three cheese".

"Yea, I do".

Free food was one of the perks to working at Lucky's. They were allowed to put in their orders an hour before their shift ended at no charge, so when Rio promised to still be there when she got home, Beth knew that she wanted to share her favorite with him. Her ravioli was ten times better than what the restaurant served, but if she put her food critic hat on, Lucky's would be a distant second.

They needed to discuss the details of their wedding. It was one thing to be on the same page, it was another to have nothing to share with their family and friends. Which venue did they want? Who should they invite? Should the elope and consider it a done deal? Those were just some of the questions that popped into Beth's head at work. Standing at a podium with nothing to do other than folding coloring pages for kids left a lot of time for reflection. 

Beth pushed a carry out plate over to Rio and without thinking said, "I'll have to make mine for you someday".

"Keep promisin' stuff mama and I ain't givin' you that divorce".

She barked with laughter, sliding a piece of ravioli around her plate to gather sauce. The only other thing she volunteered to make him was brownies and that was because he loved them. Her mom always said that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach and Beth supposed that worked for fake relationships as well.

"How do you want to do our vows?" She asked, feeling like it would be a good starting off point for them.

The guests would probably expect them to write their own vows considering how short notice the wedding would be. They would want to hear about their whirlwind romance and how they decided that they were soulmates after only a month together. "Write 'em for each other?".

"You'd be ok with saying, I didn't know what love was until I met Beth?".

"I'ma write 'em myself".

Beth got up to toss their trash while Rio washed their only two forks. "I'm kidding. I actually like that idea".

Wedding details weren't the only thing that Beth thought about at work. No one, especially not Ruby would believe that they were serious if they were still living at different residences. Rio lived at least a mile away and it would be too far to drive at the last minute. And what if Annie or Greg took a spur of the moment trip to the eastside and there were no signs of Rio? It would be too obvious to either of the girls if she had a couple shirts lying around or staged photos, they would see right through that.

It would be like ripping off a bandaid. She just needed to blurt it out and get it over with. It took her a couple beats before she finally worked up the courage to ask, "do you want to move in with me?".

"Ye–".

"–Only because he knows where you live" she interrupted, not wanting it to seem like a way to furnish her apartment. She still couldn't believe that she misread the fine print. Annie had told her for years that she needed to get her eyes checked and maybe she was right, although that was more or less regarding her relationship with Dean.

"Alright".

Hm, that was easier than she expected.

They were both free that following Thursday and luckily Rio had a friend who had access to a Uhaul, not that she had much luck with them. The guy's name was Mick and he ran with Rio back when they were teenagers. They recently reconnected and Mick was now the bartender at the Royal. It only took Beth four trips to his bar to realize the name was out front on the marquee. 

Beth also learned that the boys Rio mentioned at the wedding were his friends and ex gang members who he hired as a way to give them a second chance.

She bribed Mick with a plate of chocolate chip cookies if he helped with the heavy lifting. It was mostly the couch that they were having problems with. There was a lot of pivoting to get it through the narrow hall and down the staircase. In addition to the cookies, Rio was letting Mick house sit while he lived with Beth. It was temporary. They had to keep everyone in the dark, but that didn't matter to Mick, he was sold. Mick was overly elated that he wouldn't have to be cramped in a house with four roommates anymore. 

Rio tipped his mattress onto its side and started to slowly walk backwards out of his bedroom, reminding Beth that she had to be his eyes because he'd be pissed if he tumbled down the stairs.

"There's two more steps. We have to go to the left...no, my left".

Rio huffed, shifting his body to the left only to hit a fire extinguisher. 

"That wouldn't have happened if you went left when I told you to".

"Already arguin' like an old married couple" Mick quipped, leaning up against the wall.

Beth gave a pointed glance and blew a piece of hair out of her face, "can you just open the door for us?".

They got everything moved in but not without a few casualties. A framed piece of art that once belonged to Rio's dad tipped over when they tried to get a recliner through the door. The glass shattered and Beth promised to get it repaired only to be told accidents happened and not to worry about it.

"I'm going to fix it. It's important to you like my ottoman was for me".

Rio brows creased, unaware that she had something in the apartment. He was sure that he would've ran into it at some point, "ottomon?".

"It was from my mom, but it was in the truck".

"What does it look like?".

Beth closed her eyes to visualize her once treasured gift, "white with a wooden base. My dad carved our initials into the front leg, but it's gone now. Drinks?".

She not only wanted to change the subject, but felt like they needed to celebrate taking the first step in their marriage. 

They occupied the last two seats at the bar and each ordered a bourbon. It was easier hanging out with Rio than it was with Dean. Dean would always want to order a bottle of chardonnay, like it made him feel important. 

One drink became two, two became four and soon Beth started to feel a bit tipsy. 

"I'll have another," Beth said, raising her empty glass toward Mick, "it's on his tab. R- io" she giggled, twirling her finger in his direction. 

"Nah, let's get you home mama". 

Beth pouted, reluctantly stepping away from the bar, "you're gonna marry me". 

"Yea, I am darlin". 

Mick snorted, passing her purse over so Rio could hang it off his shoulder. He got a few questioning stares from patrons, but they needed to mind their own fucking business. 

Beth stumbled into the apartment, holding onto Rio's arm for support. Once she made it far enough inside, she plopped down on the couch and grabbed the blanket from the back as if he would make her sleep out there. "Take the bed, mama".

"It's yours".

Rio leaned on the back of the couch, "Elizabeth, take the bed".

If anything she should sleep in the bedroom because it was closer to the bathroom. He wasn't sure about her alcohol tolerance and if he learned anything from Rhea, it was that the ability to throw back shots didn't always equal everything staying down.

Rio helped her into the bedroom and swung her legs onto the mattress, "g'night".

She answered with some soft snores, falling asleep almost immediately after her head hit the pillow.

Much to Beth's surprise, she didn't have a massive hangover when she woke up. It was more of a nagging headache than anything, nothing some advil couldn't take care of. 

The floorboards were cold on her feet as she attempted to make her way into the kitchen, wiping away sleep from her eyes in the process. Beth stopped at the end of the couch and smiled at the sight in front of her.

Rio was too long for the couch, his feet were even sticking out of the blanket. She considered picking the pillow up from the floor and tucking it back under his head, but she didn't want to risk waking him.

Not that it mattered because a few seconds later there was loud banging at the door. Beth could make out the short silhouette of their guest and it was someone she hoped they wouldn't have to face for another week –Annie.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth could make out the short silhouette of their guest and it was someone she hoped they wouldn't have to face for another week –Annie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left a comment on the last chapter! I loved reading them and they are very much appreciated!
> 
> I hope you enjoy and as always, thanks for reading!!

Beth had hoped that Annie would get bored and go home if she ignored her, only it had the opposite effect and she refused to let up, "I hear you moving in there sis".

"Rio" Beth whispered, trying to wake him from his slumber. When she only got a hum in response, she threw a pillow at him and tried again, "Rio!".

Beth thought they would have another week to get their stories straight. Everyone they knew would assume that they connected at the wedding, fell madly in love and moved in with each other after a week. It was possible, that kind of stuff happened all the time on reality tv.

Rio sat up and reached for his jeans, not even bothering to locate his shirt. He planned on going back to sleep once she left. Greg once told him that Annie wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted and that apparently included getting into Beth's apartment.

She took a deep breath and opened the door just a crack, wide enough that Annie could see her but not inside.

"Shouldn't you still be in Hawaii?".

Annie tried to look behind her, only to catch the corner of the couch, "Greg got sick. You gonna let me in?".

"Yeah. Yeah".

Beth stepped aside and accepted the loaf of bread from her sister. It was Annie's go to housewarming gift and one of her favorite snacks. It certainly helped that she worked at a grocery store and stole from their 'almost expired' bin.

"You gotta see Greg surf, that sh–".

Annie slammed on her breaks and gawked at Rio, giving Beth a chance to catch up to her. There was no way in hell that it wouldn't be a shock. Beth had openly sworn off men for the remainder of the year during Annie's bachelorette party.

Ruby celebrated that decision, believing it would give Beth a chance to work on herself while Annie told her to find someone and take them to bone town. "Holy shit".

"You know Rio".

"Oh I know Rio, not as good as you though". Annie wiggled her eyebrows, only to be dragged into the kitchen by the arm.

Beth's mind was racing at million miles a second. There was no doubt in her mind that Annie would tell their parents and Ruby, then Stan would find out and eventually word would get back to Dean and she really wasn't up to speaking to him yet. Honesty she didn't know if she ever would be ready. 

On second thought, maybe that was the best way to go about it. They couldn't get cash or gifts without everyone knowing that they were getting married. Annie showing up might've been the golden ticket they were waiting for. 

"Look at you miss I don't bone on the first date".

"It's not like that".

It only took Annie one look around the kitchen to realize something was off. "This isn't your pan, yours was teal and that's not your coffee machine, it doesn't have a crack on the screen".

"Don't freak out" Beth started, "they belong to Rio".

"Ok, and why is Rio's stuff here? –No".

Annie's jaw went lax, dropping to the table in shock. There was no easy way to say it so Beth decided to come right out with it, "we're getting married".

Annie was beyond elated, it was almost as if the english language lacked a word to describe how happy she was that something she set up actually worked out. She tried to hook friends up in the past and they never made it past the second date. 

She ran out of the kitchen to hug Rio, "no more dried up twigs".

First of all, insulting and secondly, Rio didn't need to know everything.

His brows raised in amusement and all Beth could do was cover her face. Why did Annie insist on telling anyone and everyone that she hadn't had sex in months. She wasn't upset about it, life happened and they both were busy at work, that didn't mean the mailman needed to know the last time someone went down on her.

Within thirty minutes, Beth had three missed calls from her mom and a series of emoji filled texts from Ruby which were warranted given their previous conversation. "Guess I gotta tell my ma, huh?".

"I'm sorry. She wasn't supposed to be back".

Rio shook his head, "nah it's good for us".

Right. They needed to remain optimistic. 

Beth clocked in for her afternoon shift and grabbed the forest green shirt from her locker. She only had three more eight hour shifts, then she could relax for two days. All she wanted was to get off her feet.

Rio offered to have Mick train her as the evening bartender, but that intertwined their lives in a way that neither of them wanted. It would make it awkward for them when the divorce was filed. Everything between them would be finalized, Beth would have to quit, their wedding earnings would be split and they likely would never hear from each other again.

"Can I start you guys out with some drinks?" Beth asked a group of suits. They must've been from the huge law office a few blocks down. They would file in on payday Fridays, ordering rounds of shots before one of them would inevitably vomit on the bathroom floor. Beth hated when her name got drawn for clean up duty.

"Two waters and a rum".

"I'll be right back" she offered the sincerest work smile she could muster and passed them the menus. The special was salmon, so she hoped Rio didn't mind the smell of fish because she knew from experience it clung to her.

Beth was halfway to the counter when a man grabbed her harshly by the wrist. She yanked it away and saw that it was Carlito, the man that Rio owed money too, the one who held them at gunpoint.

"Don't ever touch me again".

"Mouthy, can see why Rio fucks with you". There was an arrogance about him that bothered her, like he got off on making people's lives miserable.

Beth glared at him, "what do you want?".

"Drinking" he raised his glass of vodka, "and making sure the wedding's still on".

The kitchen staff hit the bell to indicate that the next order was ready. It was a slower evening so it was probably table three's steak and potatoes. She looked back at the plates, then to Carlito, "you'll get your money. Leave Rio alone".

His sadistic laugh echoed behind her as she squeezed between two customers to get back to work.

Beth now faced an entirely new line of questioning and this time it was from her relatives. By far the most frequent question was if she was pregnant. 

_"No one gets married that fast unless they're knocked up. Claudia, I told you she looked bigger at the wedding"._

"No mom, I'm not pregnant" Beth said for the hundredth time that night, tossing her hand to the side when she met Rio's eyes. His mom had been chill to the whole thing. She never expected him to get married with the lifestyle he once led, so it was a pleasant surprise. The reaction made Beth wonder how close they actually were and if she knew Rio took out the loan to take care of her debt.

"You'll get the same answer from him dad. Yes, we can come over tomorrow night… I love you too".

She didn't want to hurt her parents, but it was the only way to get cash fast enough without joining a gang herself. That option was actually floated around by Rio. He had considered, albeit briefly, starting up his own and promised Beth a position within it. It was fate that Rio walked into her life and was willing to go along with an idea that was so insane that Hollywood would be interested in it.

"Meetin' the parents?" Rio asked, stepping behind Beth to massage her shoulders. 

She closed her eyes, "tomorrow, but you won't have to say anything. That feels nice".

"Yeah?".

Nodding, Beth relaxed into it and let out an involuntary moan, deciding to ignore his deep chuckle that immediately followed. There was a compliment somewhere about him having magic hands, but she decided to keep that to herself so the moment wouldn't be misconstrued.

"Parents love me, jus' so ya know".

"Because of these massages?" Beth joked, tilting her head a bit to the side, her eyes still closed.

"This is jus' for you".

As if on cue those damn butterflies in her stomach reappeared.

Beth feared that her parents would take one look at his neck tattoo and make assumptions about the type of man he was. If she had learned anything about him over the past two weeks, it was that he was nothing but supportive.

After another gruelling shift, Beth wanted to kick off her shoes and take a hot bath, maybe toss in the bath bomb that she picked up over the weekend. The last thing she expected to see was Rio leaning against the door. "You lock yourself out?".

"Nah, got you somethin'".

They were already living together so she didn't need to worry about a surprise apartment. Beth already knew the drill and covered her eyes, laughing when he stepped around her to cup his hands over her own. She would've been tempted to cheat. He knew her pretty well. 

"What's going on?".

"Been lookin' at pawn shops with Mick for your stuff and we found somethin".

Beth perked up, "my ottoman?".

She felt Rio's chuckle against her back more than she actually heard it. "Open em".

There, sitting at the foot of the bed, was her white ottoman with a bright orange price tag tied around the leg.

"It's got your initials and whatnot. I know it ain't everything –".

"I– thank you".

Beth ran her hand over the seat, noticing a few nicks and tears from the robbers mishandling of it, but those could be easily ignored or fixed up whenever she found time. Maybe her mom was right and that little piece of furniture did have some luck left in it after all.

"I gotta go to work. See ya tonight?".

Their working different shifts added another complicated layer to their relationship. It really limited the time they could sit down and get to know each other. Beth had seen the movie The Proposal several times since they started this endeavor and while that had to do with immigration, she figured those were normal questions that every couple should know about one another.

Name, well she knew his first. She felt pretty confident with scars and tattoos. Family, easy, his mom was alive and living in Detroit. Everything else was an enormous question mark hanging over them.

The time had come to face her parents. She threw on a navy blue dress that hugged her hips in all the right ways and dug a white cardigan from the back of her closet, just in case it got nippy on the walk over. 

"Damn, like the color on you ma".

"Thanks" Beth flushed, subconsciously running her hand over her thigh. After a short discussion about his clothes, Rio caved and wore the black button-down that she laid out on the couch.

Beth always had to pick clothes out for Dean. Some days in that relationship she felt less like a girlfriend and more like a mother. She didn't want to extend that to Rio, but she didn't know if a black shirt that displayed all of his tattoos would be appropriate for a first dinner with her family, even if she personally liked it. Rio didn't seem bothered by it and decided that he would wear it to a barbecue or something down the road instead.

They made their way up the gravel driveway to a single story tan house with sunflowers out front. "They're my mom's favorite. She's been growing them since Annie was born".

"What about you?".

"I prefer tulips. Why, are you taking notes?".

"Gotta keep you happy and shit" Rio said, wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her close. It was an act. Rio was pretending to be the loving, doting boyfriend, a role he was very comfortable in filling. 

Her parents were just inside finishing dinner up. Her mom, Linda tossed the hand towel onto the counter and pulled her into a huge hug, ignoring her husband's huffs about the potatos burning on the stove.

"And you must be Rio" Linda pulled him into a tight bear hug and he slowly responded to it, patting her upper back much to Beth's amusement. 

"Mom, you've scared him enough".

It then came time for her dad's line of inquiry, "that's an interesting throat tattoo you got there".

Beth reached for Rio's hand as if that would deter the converation. It wasn't that Rio didn't talk about his past. He was more than open about his life as a gang member, she just didn't know if he wanted them to know about it. Their hands, now interlocked were resting in front of her leg, catching the attention of both her parents. 

"Yea, it's for a club I was in".

Before Eric had the chance to pry, Linda laughed awkwardly and elbowed him in the side, "dedicated, I like it. Actually, do you want to see photos of Beth?".

They walked down the hall of memories, that's what her parents called it. It had everything from their first birthdays to their highschool graduations. Scratch that, all the way up to their wedding days. Right next to Annie's wedding portrait was an empty frame for them.

"I thought this day would never come. I suppose I should be thanking you, Rio".

"Nah. Elizabeth made this happen".

Linda's mouth opened in surprise, "well, I'm happy it did".

Dinner started out uneventful. They passed around the food and made small chitchat about how their weeks had been so far. Beth told them about her raise at work, a whole ten cents so it wasn't anything to write home about and then the conversation turned to Rio's bar.

"I saw a documentary the other day, this guy used a bar as a money laundering front".

"Is that right?".

Eric laid his fork on the plate, "locked up for twenty years. It's a shame really, he had a fiancè and a kid on the way".

Beth once again saw Rio's jaw visibly tighten, fingers tapping on his leg as if to stop himself from saying exactly what was on his mind.

"Rio's bar is legit, dad".

She started to shift the conversation in a way that would get them back on track, drinks, and by the end of the evening Rio had them hanging onto his every word. They wanted to know about his bar, his plans to expand and if there was a family discount.

"Right now only for Elizabeth".

Her dad cracked up whenever Rio called her by her full name. It was honestly a shock that no one else questioned it. It rolled right off his tongue and she grew fond of it. 

"Good call son. You set me one up with gin and I'll never leave".

Son. In all the years they had known Dean, never once had they considered him family. They probably only dealt with him in the hopes of having grandchildren one day. Surprisingly enough Rio kept them distracted enough that that topic was avoided.

Linda called Beth into the kitchen to give the guys a couple minutes to bond. Once they were out of earshot, Eric slid into the chair next to Rio and whispered, "tell me the truth, is she pregnant?".

"Nah".

Eric sighed, "so this, with my daughter, is because you love her?".

Rio locked eyes with Beth the second she stepped out of the kitchen. She was carrying an apple pie and four saucers. "Yea. I do".

Her parents left them alone to convene in the living room for a secret meeting.

"You do what?".

"Want some pie, mama".

Beth rolled her eyes and picked up the pie server to give him the biggest slice. She spent hours baking it the night prior and spent just as long afterwards smacking Rio's hands when he tried to get a taste. She never went to anyone's house without a dessert plate, not even her childhood home.

He took a big bite, not waiting for her parents to get back, "so fuckin good".

"I have another one at home for us".

"Oh you do, huh?" He said, allowing his eyes to drop to her chest when Beth adjusted her dress, purposefully revealing more cleavage. 

Her parent's returned and were adamant on paying for the wedding even though they used a portion of Beth's wedding fund to pay for their trip to Australia. That was news to her. They thought there would be enough time to pay it back since it didn't appear like she would need it any time soon. They would be able to pay for the venue and caterer if they simply moved some funds around.

They stopped for some ice cream on the way home. It was cool enough where it wouldn't melt all over them, but warm enough where their hands wouldn't freeze holding the cup. It could only be described as perfect which oddly enough summed up their day.

Rio wooed her parents, like, completely blew them away. Her dad was already planning trips for them to watch the Lion's play and her mom kept telling her that Rio seemed like a great guy. Beth already knew that. Sometimes she wondered if they would've worked out if they went on a blind date instead of planning this scheme. 

Would they have gone to a restaurant that requires a reservation or was Rio more of a build a picnic on a first date kind of guy? Beth might've even invited him inside for a night cap and let him stay for breakfast. They skipped all of those steps and landed directly on marriage. Beth didn't regret it one bit, but that didn't mean she was immune to his charm.

"We have the venue and date, August 20th, so all we need is the final guest list" Beth pointed at their checklist with her spoon.

"You ain't gotta do this y'know".

Beth watched as he scooped out the last bit of ice cream. She didn't. There were several nights where Beth would find herself staring blankly at the bedroom door knowing Rio was just outside, that she could call it off and move on with her life, but she couldn't because she truly cared about him. 

The thought of Rio being gunned down for a debt that he only had because he loved his mother weighed heavily on her heart. He didn't deserve to die and if marrying him would get him out of that situation, then that's exactly what she would do. Not that she'd tell him that of course, feelings were overrated. "I do".

"G'night, Elizabeth".

It was one of those nights and Beth couldn't sleep no matter which way she tossed or turned. Maybe a drink would help.

She threw the covers off and tiptoed to the kitchen, trying not to wake Rio. Successfully opening the refrigerator, she grabbed a bottle of water from the side door.

"What are you doin?".

Beth jumped, holding a hand on her beating heart, "jesus. I thought you were sleeping".

"Nah, was thinking 'bout this thing between you and me".

"What about it?" Beth asked, joining him on the couch.

"Jus' glad Greg set me up with you".

"Yeah, me too".

There was that feeling again. 

Rio cupped her face, slowly leaning in until their lips were mere inches from eachother. She could see his long eyelashes and feel his hot breath mixing with her own. He was waiting for her to make the next move, so Beth tried, only for her phone to ring.

"Ignore it" Rio said, caressing her cheek.

Beth wanted to, but she was the emergency contact for so many people and it could be life or death.

"Give me a minute and I'll be right back".

Speak of the devil, it was Greg. "This better be good… Annie is? Wait, what happened? No, no we'll be right there".

He didn't have time to give Beth every detail, but it appeared that her sister had been involved in a car accident and was being admitted to the hospital. It was the last thing she would've expected. Annie never got hurt. When they were younger she would charge the neighbor kids fifty cents to jump off their deck. She landed awkwardly every time and walked away perfectly fine. "Annie's in the hospital–".

"I'll drive".

Ben was waiting patiently when they arrived. Even though he had his iPad, he asked if Rio would stay with him while Beth visited his mom. It was news to her that they bonded over their love of books and button-downs.

"Greg said you got hit by a car".

He shook his head, "I said we bet the car".

Annie thought it was a great idea to take Ben's skateboard down the front stairs of their home. Sure there were only three steps, but she now had a broken hand.

"You're smarter than that Annie".

"I didn't stand, duh. I sat down on it" Annie scoffed, like that explained why she decided to do it.

When Greg walked Beth back to the waiting room, he told her it was a stupid bet and he didn't think Annie would accept, but they both should've known that she would anytime money was involved. The ranking of importance in her life probably went Ben, money and then Greg would round out the top three. The doctor gave her some pain meds and put her in a blue cast, telling her that in roughly three weeks it could get removed. 

When they got back to the waiting room, Ben and Rio were playing soccer using a squished styrofoam cup for a ball. "And he scores".

A wide smile formed on Beth's face and it somehow managed to grow when Ben took a distracted Rio's legs out from under him, dropping him to the carpet with a thud. Greg told Ben it was time to pack up because Annie would be down soon and out of the blue Rio volunteered them to watch the kid instead.

"Until she gets used to the pain pills" Beth added, agreeing to go along with it.

Ben was excited to see his Auntie Beth's new place and get a new change of scenery. He ended up camping himself out on the couch the second they were inside. It was fine. It was late. She would just make dinner and tuck him in for the night. Did kids that age still get tucked in? Beth would figure it out.

He passed out a little after eight and they decided to let him sleep on the couch. Beth placed a blanket over him and shut the TV off, realizing that now left Rio with no place to sleep.

She weighed the options and crooked her finger, telling Rio to follow her into the bedroom.

"You can sleep on the bed, just stay above the covers".

Once they were inside the room, Beth grabbed her nightgown and began to pull her sweater over her head. It was magenta with floral print that landed just below the knees. Rio remained mum, leaning against the wall and if she wasn't looking in his direction, she would've assumed that he left.

His eyes were dark, bottom lip pulled into his mouth as he drank in the final seconds before her hips disappeared beneath the gown. 

Beth felt the shift in their relationship over the past week, a constant pull that made her want to be around him and she knew that he was equally conflicted. It was lust. Beth was attracted to him and it didn't help that she was pushing on seven months without sex.

She slid beneath the covers, eyes glued to Rio's as he unbuttoned his collar and slowly worked his way down the rest of his shirt, leaving on his white tank and grey briefs.

Rio had this smirk. At first it was almost cocky, but overtime Beth had grown to like it, dare she say love it. It was plastered on his face when he reached for the bottom of her gown, grazing her thigh in the process. "Just bein' fair".

They laid side by side like strangers at camp, both looking up at the ceiling in silence when Beth felt his pinky brush hers. It was such a small gesture that it likely was accidental, so she ignored it and tried to sleep. Then it happened again and this time it felt like Rio was trying to hold her hand. It couldn't be, right? But just to make sure Beth laid her hand palm up, holding her breath to see what he would do and he answered by interlocking their fingers. 

Beth wasn't sure which of them moved first, but they soon found themselves deep in a makeout session with Rio hovering over her. He sucked on her neck, palmed her breasts and obliged when Beth moved his hand to her pussy. 

He slipped his hand down the front of her panties, thumb rubbing against her clit. "Mm".

"So wet already".

Beth pushed herself up in an attempt to kiss him, maybe even prevent a moan or two from escaping her lips.

"Aunt Beth. Uncle Rio, I don't feel well".

Rio tittered nervously, resting his head on her chest, "I got him".

"You sure?".

"Yea" he rolled off the bed and cursed, catching Beth's slight pout at them being interrupted. It was clearly another sign that they weren't supposed to get together. 

She went to check on them, not because she didn't trust Rio, but because curiosity got the best of her. Leaning against the doorway, she noticed that chicken noodle soup was already in the microwave and the green throw blanket was wrapped tightly around Ben's shoulders. Rio would be a good dad. 

Beth shook her head, hoping to rid herself of those thoughts. Their relationship was fake and the wedding wasn't real, those feelings would only get her hurt in the long run.

"Can you grab him a spoon?".

"Yeah" Beth sat beside Ben and pulled him into a half hug, "Are you feeling better? Should I call your mom?".

Ben believed that he ate too much pizza. He was trying to beat Greg's old record because that was apparently what they did when Annie wasn't home. She supposed the saying was true, boys would be boys.

"Nah, just some soup and video games, right?"

Ben slurped loudly before agreeing. Fine, Beth would go back to bed if Rio had everything under control, "don't stay up too late".

Rio rushed across the living room, doing a small jog in order to met her at their bedroom. He leaned in close, hand resting on her forearm, "I do plan on kissin' you again".

"I'd like that".


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben goes home and Ruby has a questionnaire for Rio to see how well he knows Beth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long long delay. There was a massive storm that hit and I lost power for 6 whole days. This is a bit of a filler chapter before it heats up (or not, we'll have to see)
> 
> Thanks for reading & I hope you enjoy!

Beth was lying on her side, eavesdropping as Ben and Rio finished their video game. It was either do that or run through last minute details. There was still so much to do and the wedding was rapidly approaching. Soon she would be mrs–mrs–she would remain a Marks.

They received cash from a few friends that couldn't attend the ceremony. Beth believed they were up to two hundred which wasn't a bad start. Oh, and they got a blender that she actually wanted to keep. She had a hankering for frozen margaritas and that was the one appliance Rio didn't own.

The bed dipped when Rio joined her, "he fell right asleep".

"What do you want, a medal?" She hoped the light tone came through because she was grateful that he wanted to help. Dean would've left her to handle Ben alone, believing the misogynistic idea that it was the woman's job to cook and raise the children.

"Yea, maybe I do".

They couldn't exactly pick up where they left off, so Beth pushed herself off the mattress and moved just enough to peck his lips. 

He dozed off first. She could hear his light snoring as she laid motionless, staring at the eggshell colored ceiling tiles. Everything that happened between them that night came flooding back to her. The kisses, the way her body reacted to his touches and most of all the fluttering of her heart when they locked eyes in the kitchen.

Beth awoke, lazily wiping drool from her face with the back of her hand. She needed to use the bathroom and pull down her nightgown that rode up in the night, but the warm arm that was wrapped around her midsection felt nice. She wanted to stay in that spot for at least another hour.

"Mornin".

Rio caressed her hip, then attempted to tug her gown down over her exposed blue panties. He only got one side.

She took a quick glance at her phone, it was nearly eight o'clock which meant Ruby and Stan would be there any minute. They were driving up to Detroit for lunch and it would be their first time meeting her fiancè. It terrified Beth. What if her best friend hated him? It wouldn't matter, right? After the divorce it would be like the marriage never happened. But Ruby had been so enthused about it, saying that Beth genuinely sounded happy for the first time since her breakup with Dean. "You ready to meet my best friend?".

"She gonna go easy on me?".

Probably not. The hardest part of their fake wedding wasn't lying to her parents, that came naturally. It was lying to Ruby and Annie that hurt the most. She hoped they wouldn't hold it against her when the truth came out, that they would see it from their side and understand how difficult a decision it was to make. Ok, she hoped they would understand it was the fastest way to go about it. 

"Just be yourself, she'll like you".

Rio hummed softly, sliding his thumb under the waistband of her panties "cause you do?".

Her breath shuddered, mouth opened slightly as she tried to prepare an answer. It wasn't supposed to be like this, her body was acting on its own. _Shit, shit, shit._

Before she had the chance to respond, Ben called out from the living room, "Auntie Beth can I have pancakes?".

"Saved by the bell" Rio gave a belly laugh as he watched Beth slip on her pair of bunny slippers that she recently bought, "of course. Should we try to make a puppy again?".

They dropped Ben off after breakfast. He wanted ice cream afterwards and Rio couldn't say no to him, so he ended up with a large chocolate malt. Stellar babysitting on their end. They got the kid hyped up on sugar and would let his parents deal with the come down. The best part was that Ben would consider them to be the fun ones and want to spend more time with them going forward.

When they got home, Beth took a soak and let the warm water soothe her aching body. Between the humidity and vomit, she wanted a moment to get refreshed before Ruby arrived, or at least run a brush through her hair. But the longer she sat in the water, the more she started to think about Rio's hand in her underwear. 

Soon her hand dipped between her legs and grazed her clit, picturing Rio walking around the bathroom with his eyes glued to her own. There was one problem, she couldn't get his clothes right in her fantasy. He had on the white tank from the other night and while it was in his wardrobe, that wasn't how he normally dressed. 

"Hey, Rio?" She called out.

"Yea?".

Beth began to move her fingers in a circular motion, "what are you wearing? –Ah".

He mentioned on the way in that he was changing out of his black sweats and into something more suitable for meeting her close friends.

"Black button-down" his voice was low, gravelly even and she could almost hear his smile through the door. Suddenly her vision became more clear. "Touchin' yourself?".

She hummed, squeezing her own tit with her freehand.

"Add a finger" Rio said. 

Beth followed his instructions and slowly slipped a finger inside. Some water splashed over the side when her leg shot up on the edge.

"Rio–" she moaned, rubbing her pussy as the pressure built in her stomach. 

"Fuck, I wanna see you mama".

"It's… _.oh god_ … open".

He accepted the invitation and sat on the edge of the tub once he was on the otherside of the door. "Roll up your sleeve" Beth ordered.

When it was high enough for her liking, she took his hand and placed it between her legs, letting the water drench part of his shirt.

Rio smirked and replaced her fingers with his own, shifting his weight to work with the odd angle. Beth's head lolled back against the cold porcelain, moving her hips against his hand in desperation. "C'mon, Elizabeth".

Then Ruby's voice came over the intercom, asking for Beth to let them up. Talk about buzzkill, "next time?".

"Jus' say when".

Beth was starting to think the universe didn't want her to get laid. 

She threw on a stretched out sweater and a pair of yoga pants with 'baby girl' written on the ass (a gift from Annie) before meeting the Hills at her front door. They now faced their next obstacle as a pretend couple— her best friend.

Beth placed two mugs and a pot of coffee on the table as Ruby starred down Rio. They had all been at the wedding and Stan even interacted with him briefly before the reception, but it shocked them both when Beth dropped the bombshell that they were engaged. The overall consensus was that anyone was better than Dean.

"What do you do man?" Stan asked, kicking off the line of questioning.

Rio appeared as cool as a cucumber, even patting Beth's thigh a couple times in reassurance. "I own the bar on Sherwood".

"That place is nice. Beth drinking you out of business yet?".

Beth's mouth dropped in betrayal. If anything Stan was supposed to be in her corner and within seconds he had built a budding friendship with Rio.

"I ain't gonna cut her off".

She had run up quite the tab there, it became her hangout of choice when Rio worked nights and the girls weren't around. Beth would make herself at home by the bar and chat with Mick, hearing bits and pieces of their childhood and what Rio was like as a gang member. It was a little intense, but at the same time Beth found herself wishing that she knew him back then.

Ruby decided to do a quick pop quiz to see how well Rio knew her, it was the same thing Beth jokingly did back when Stan came into their lives. That was her best friend, she was just looking out and Ruby planned on doing the same, especially with everything happening on such short notice. 

"What's her favorite drink?".

He answered with no hesitation, "bourbon on the rocks".

Ruby cleared her throat and scrolled to the next question on her phone. "Don't get excited, that was the easy question homie. What's her favorite treat to bake?".

"Trick question, huh? Strawberry buckle".

Beth couldn't help but smile at him crushing the test. While she made killer brownies, nothing tested her baking skills quite like a buckle did.

"Kids!" Stan blurted out as the third question, "do you want them?".

The question was a tad bit intrusive and maybe it was because they had one on the way, but Stan felt like that was an important conversation for any married couple to have. Ruby subconsciously placed her hand on her stomach, squeezing Stan's hand with the other.

"We haven't really talked–" Beth said, trying to end the conversation as quickly as it began.

"Yea".

Beth's head whipped to her right, "yeah?".

"With you, yea. We ain't bad at it".

They had successfully taken care of Ben while Annie was in the hospital and having kids had always been on her bucket list, it just never felt right with Dean even when he pressed the subject, but knowing Rio was open to it made her excited for the future. 

"I'm happy for you both".

"Yeah man, it's gonna be nice having someone around".

Ruby spent the rest of the night sharing embarrassing stories from their highschool days. How Beth was the only sophomore invited to prom and that time when she tripped during graduation rehearsal. Rio ate it up, just as he had when he met her parents.

"So what happens when this is over?" Beth asked while she picked up the plates. Would they remain friends or walk away and forget it ever happened.

"Don't know, ma. I'd still see you around".

For the first time in about three weeks they were going to be a part. Mick was hosting poker night and Rio planned to swing by for a couple hours. "Sure you don't wanna go?".

"No, go. I've been dying to get started on my scarf anyway".

"Alright, see ya later".

They often had to remind each other that just because they shared a bed didn't mean their relationship was anymore real than it was in the beginning. Neither of them planned to make it official and that was what made their plan great.

Beth made herself comfortable on the couch and draped a blanket over her legs. A reality show was put on for background noise while she attempted to knit a scarf for the first time in her life. 

Back at Mick's place the poker game heated up. Bets started at five dollars and worked their way up to ten. Rio, being responsible, only brought thirty dollars to work with because why waste the cash he did have when he had a wedding to pay for. He planned to use whatever earnings he did win to take Beth out for a nice dinner.

"I'm in" Rhea slid in a couple chips and looked across the table as if to challenge Rio. He knew his cards were good, great even, but Rhea had been on quite the hot streak winning three of the six games.

He matched her bet and placed his cards face up, a straight flush.

Rhea clapped slowly, impressed by the play at hand, "you should swing by my house after this. High stakes.".

"Gonna get out while I'm ahead".

"Boring. Just think about it, the only buy-in is your clothes" she winked and picked her purse up from the floor. 

Mick hit him hard across the back and kept encouraging him to follow after her, after all they had a long and complicated history.

_"You could run away with me. Carlito wouldn't find you"._

_Things were getting worse around the neighborhood. A rival gang moved into their territory and they had lost a dozen members. Rio got grazed during a night watch and Rhea swore she would get him out if it was the last thing she did. She was over stitching him back up just to send him back out to the streets like a wounded animal._

_"It ain't that easy, mama. You know that"._

_Rhea climbed onto his lap, brushing a finger over his latest injury, "one day you'll want out and I'll be waiting for you"._

_"Till then?"._

_She pulled her shirt over her head, "I'll fix you up"._

His only intention was to walk Rhea out to her car, but the second he opened her door, she planted a kiss on him. There was no hesitation on her end and Rio found himself kissing her back.

Rhea cupped him over his pants and asked softly, "you want a ride?".


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio has a decision to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad about cutting off chapter 5 where I did so I hope this makes up for it. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Rio got out of the car and let his hand linger on the doorknob, hoping that he made the right decision for the night. Someone, probably Mick, would be disappointed.

He pushed open their apartment door to find Beth curled up on the couch, her knitting needle lying on the floor and a half empty wine glass on the table.

_"Nah. I'm gonna go home"._

_"Who is she?" Rhea asked._

_"Nobody"._

_Rhea reached for his hand, letting out a small laugh as she interlocked their fingers. It was cute that he still thought that he could lie to her. "We've been doing this–" she gestured between them, "for years. I know you Rio"._

_"Elizabeth"._

_She pushed him in the direction of his black BMW, "go. Don't fuck this one up"._

Rio sat on the table and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. It caused Beth to stir, eyes fluttering as they adjusted to the light. 

"Did you win?".

Rio didn't know what possessed him, guilt maybe, but he felt compelled to tell her everything and by that he meant everything.

"I won two hundred. I'm gonna take you out".

Beth reached out and brushed her fingertips over the top of his hand that was resting on the middle cushion. "That Italian restaurant near the bar? The one with the long lines?".

"Wherever you want".

People flocked from all over Michigan to eat at that restaurant and their website only had a portion of their menu available. Ruby tried to get a reservation there for her and Stan's five year anniversary and had no luck. She doubted Rio would get a different result, but a girl could dream of lasagna and fresh bread.

When he pulled his hand away, Beth sat up, "is something wrong?".

"I kissed Rhea back".

His ex. She remembered Mick mentioned that name before. Rhea used to run with the gang, but never officially joined. She now was a dental hygienist somewhere in Detroit and apparently played poker with the guys every other weekend.

She looked down at her hands, trying to process that information. They weren't in a relationship so there was no reason to be upset. It wasn't like Dean. Rio wasn't screwing Rhea in her bed, although technically it would've been his bed. "You can kiss whoever you want".

Rio leaned forward, playing with the loose yarn on the scarf, "how bout you?". His voice was just above a whisper and if it wasn't for their close proximity she probably wouldn't have caught it, but she did and he was waiting for a response.

"What about me?".

His eyes were on her lips now, "what if I wanna kiss you?".

"I'd let you".

Beth searched his face when he cupped hers, his thumb caressing her cheek. She pushed forward until their lips met. It was reminiscent of their first kiss, only far less coerced.

She laid back and tried to get her other leg up on the couch as Rio hovered over her. When it fell off again, he chuckled and held it against himself, his hand on the back of her thigh. It was cramped and uncomfortable, more so for Rio considering he was longer than the couch. "Bed".

Rio got off and took her hand, leading her to their bedroom. Once inside Beth scooched toward the headboard and tossed her dress to the floor below.

"Sure?".

Beth nodded, "yes".

All of this had been building up for weeks and she was proud of their self restraint. There was a moment when she purposely placed her yoga mat near the TV in hopes of catching his attention, it worked and he got back at her by grunting during his workout. Rio throwing air punches on their balcony caused heat to gather between her legs, but she fought the urges as he had.

They were torturing each other and for what? Surely they could handle one night in the sheets and once they got it out of their system, they could continue on with their plan.

Rio slipped a finger into the waistband of her panties and she raised her hips slightly off the mattress so that he could rid her of them. They were already doing better than their prior attempts.

She gripped the sheets as he sucked her clit, his fingers pumping into her simultaneously. "Ah".

He hummed, the vibrations were something not even her dull vibrator could muster. Beth attempted to close her legs around him, feeling his beard tickle her inner thighs only for him to pin them down with his large hands.

She whimpered when he pulled away and looked up from between her legs, leaving that familiar pressure to sit in her stomach.

Rio's fingers were moving at an agonisingly slow pace. Beth dropped her head back on the pillow–his pillow, "Rio–".

His brows raised in amusement, "Elizabeth".

"Please" Beth started to squirm above him. A couple pleas later, Rio gave in, eating up Beth's loud moans until her back arched off the bed. 

He continued to rub her pussy as she came down from the high, watching cum slowly drip down. A few cute giggles escaped her lips from overstimulation, they brought a wide smile to his face.

Beth pulled him up and into a kiss, tasting herself on his tongue. It was addicting and she wanted more. Luck appeared to be on her side for once because Rio seemed to have the same thing in mind. He made quick work of his pants and rejoined her on the bed.

Rubbing the tip of his cock over her pussy, he kept his eyes on Beth's as he slowly pushed into her. It was his turn to groan, "you feel good, ma".

_Shit. This was trouble._

Her nipples hardened beneath his palms. Rio grew frustrated and yanked her bra down to expose them, her eyes closing as his mouth closed around her tit. 

Rio pulled away with a pop and began to slowly rock his hips.

Beth dragged her nails down his chest, leaving small red lines in their wake. Soon she found herself repeating his name as if it were her favorite mantra. Sex with Dean never felt that way. "Oh… there".

"Here?".

Beth moaned, "yeah".

The grip he had on her hips was sure enough to bruise, but Beth didn't mind, in fact she asked him to go harder and even harder. He obliged by slamming into her, the sound of flesh connecting and heavy breathing filled the small bedroom.

She clenched around him and Rio mumbled, "fuck" under his breath. At her approval, he spilled inside of her, panting as he rubbed her pussy one more time causing her legs to twitch. 

"That–that was good".

Rio's teeth dragged over his bottom lip as he looked her over, "real good".

When Beth woke the following morning, her body ached and their legs were intertwined. The sheet was off the bed and the lampshade sat lopsided on its base. Fucking Rio was supposed to clear everything up, but now she was more confused than ever.

Were they dating for real? Would they sweep it under the rug and continue on with their original plan? Beth wasn't sure whether or not she could handle a friends with benefits relationship.

She attempted to untangle herself from Rio, but her leg bumped into his, jarring him awake. Beth hadn't realized how long his eyelashes were until they were this close.

Rio ran his finger down the column of her spine causing her to shiver, "mornin, how'd you sleep?".

"Not bad" since she was practically on him at that point, Beth just moved the rest of the way over to straddle his lap.

She flushed, noticing that his eyes were on her exposed chest. Still riding the high from the night before, she leaned forward to lick the wing of his tattoo. 

Rio grunt, grabbing her ass when she grinded down on him. He was hard and another round wouldn't hurt. 

Beth sucked on his neck, but before she could initiate anything further, the downstairs buzzer sounded and she groaned, burying her face in his neck, "I'm breaking that".

While he could barely make out the muffled words, he certainly echoed the frustration. "How bout you do your shopping and whatnot. I'll check out the bar and tonight we continue this".

"Add a round four and you got yourself a deal".

Rio chuckled in acceptance, "oh I'm plannin' more than one".

 _Damn intercom._ Beth wanted to take a baseball bat to it.

He smacked her ass when she got off the bed and watched in amusement as she walked out into the living room without a care in the world. "Clothes, Elizabeth".

Beth quickly did a u-turn, "right".

The last thing she needed to do was greet Ruby and Annie in her birthday suit. They were doing their final dress fittings and she couldn't wait to show the girls which one she decided on. Beth got a little overzealous and wanted the ceremony to feel real, so she chose her dream dress.

It was a v-neck, boho inspired ball gown with layers of lace and a sequined bodice. It even had embroidered patterns on the tulle. It was to die for and was worth putting the $1400 on her credit card. What were the chances that she would get married again?.

"Your tits look amazing in that dress" Ruby said.

Annie nodded, "you're gonna kill him. Bring a casket, baby girl".

Beth laughed and ran her hands over the bodice, feeling the individual sequins beneath her fingertips.

They had successfully planned their wedding in a month and everything seemed to be going off without a hitch. The caterer was paid for, the church was booked thanks to a last minute cancellation, and Rio's mom pulled off a miracle by ordering a bouquet with her favorite flowers when their usual florist said they were out.

_"Anything for my daughter-in-law"._

She wanted to come clean and tell Ruby and Annie about the scheme, it was eating her up inside and she felt terrible for lying to them. They would be heartbroken when they found out. It was selfish and insane, but for once in her life she wanted something to come easily for her.

"How is he in the sack?" Annie asked nonchalantly while examining the veil, as if it were an everyday discussion like the weather.

"Ann–".

"Save it, you boned. You got a hickey so spill it".

Beth brought her hand up to her neck, remembering how Rio's teeth grazed her skin and the matching bruise on her inner thigh, "it was… you know".

It was Ruby's turn to tease her, "she's blushing".

"I–go try on your dresses".

She went with blue floor length dresses that had flowy sleeves. The color was for Ruby and the sleeves were payback for Annie's maid of honor dress.

On the way back home she picked up orange chicken and dumplings from a hole in the wall restaurant down the street. Mick recommended it whenever they got together, so finally she caved and decided to give it a try. It smelt delicious and the portions were great for the two of them. 

Rio struggled with his chopsticks, actually that might've been an understatement. Beth watched as he dropped dumpling after dumpling back into the container, growing more frustrated with each attempt. At one point she swore he tried to use the chopstick as a knife while the dumpling was pinned against the side.

While it was entertaining, she decided to put him out of his misery and leaned over the table, holding a dumpling up to his mouth.

Rio accepted it, "I would've gotten it".

"Mmhm, I'm sure" Beth laughed loudly. She found herself doing that a lot when he was around. He made her genuinely happy.

As if to prove his point, Rio stabbed a dumpling with a single chopstick and held it out for her. It was slowly sliding down, so Beth held onto his hand and took a small bite, holding his gaze until she was back in her chair. Something unrecognizable flashed across his face before he ate the remaining piece. The whole dinner reminded Beth of Annie's anti Dean ted talk. 

_"Does Deansie share his food?"._

_"Wha–no"._

_Annie scoffed, "then he's not worth it"._

This thing between them was confusing as hell and Beth often found herself questioning where it would leave her when it was all said and done, probably heartbroken and alone. The plan was never to get attached to Rio and who knew if he felt the same way, feelings were not something they talked about.

Rio started to place the boxes inside one another to make for easy disposal while Beth made her way to the bathroom. She turned around in the doorway, "you want to join me?".

He tossed the food containers back on the table and walked swiftly to the bathroom, shutting the door behind them, "thought you'd never ask".

Beth stepped into the tub first, adjusting the temperature of the water so that they could stand to be in there longer than a typical shower. 

Rio shielded her from the stream when she moved onto her knees, instantly regretting that move because the porcelain hurt like a bitch. She wrapped her hand around him and slowly ran her tongue along the shaft before taking the tip into her mouth.

"Fuck" Rio said, grabbing a fist full of her damp hair. Occassionally he would pull it and feel Beth moan around him.

She glanced up when she heard him cursing under his breath, inching closer to his release. There was a tap on her shoulder followed by a low, "Elizabeth".

Thanks to his warning, Beth replaced her mouth with her hand and resumed stroking him until he spilled over her chest.

He took her hand and helped her back up, not wanting her to slip in the tub. Not only would that be an embarrassing ER story, their friends would never let them live it down. He knew Annie certainly wouldn't. 

Beth moved with him until her back was pressed against the tiles, allowing him to get her foot up on the tubs edge. Rio shifted his weight to regain his footing on the slippery surface causing the stream of water to spray her directly in the face. 

"Shit" she screamed, laughing as she rubbed her eyes. 

"You good? Let me see".

"It's fine, it just burns a little".

Rio pried her hands away from her face and tilted her head as if to examine her injury. "You're gonna lose that eye mama. Guess I'll find pirates sexy".

Beth swat at his chest, wrapping her arms back around his neck as his hands wandered around her body.

She dropped her head to trail kisses across his chest and gently bit his right pec, just above one of his scars. A low sound came from the back of his throat, so she did it again only a little lower.

The water turned chilly against his back, small droplets rolling off his head and onto her chest.

Rio raised her leg off the edge and held it higher against his hip, pushing into her. Soon his thrusts became erratic as he tried to come at the same time. "R–ah".

Her hand slipped off the tiles, but managed to catch the metal bar on the wall. Rio went to pull out, intending on finishing on her stomach or the wall behind them, but Beth held his wrist to stop him, "do it".

"Yea?".

Beth nodded moments before he spilled into her. It was risky, they knew it, but it felt right and for once in her life she wanted to do the things that scared her. 

Rio grabbed her body wash from the shower caddy and began to wash her back with her pink shower puff, it was in that moment she realized the thing that scared her the most was falling for him.

"Turn around mama" he said, lifting her hair to kiss the back of her neck. 

And she was falling hard. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mick is in charge of theme night at the bar and what's next for Beth and Rio?

Rio cradled her head on his chest, playing with a few strands of hair as her eyes struggled to stay open. Sleep was slowly taking over, her body was sore and her fingers were still quite pruney. "Elizabeth?".

"Hm?"

"I wanna take you out tomorrow".

Beth placed her palm down on his chest and lifted her head just enough to meet his eyes. This was it. This was everything she wanted. "I'd love to".

That was the last thing she remembered saying before succumbing to sleep. When Beth woke the next morning she was facing the door and Rio's hand was resting on her thigh, as if it were an attempt to remain close to her.

She had nothing to wear for the date. While Rio had seen her in a frumpy sweater and yoga pants, it was an important moment for the both of them and she wanted it to be perfect even if they were going through the drive thru at McDonalds.

Ruby was free that afternoon and despite being seven months pregnant, she was excited to get out and help Beth find an outfit. It was hard keeping their fake relationship a secret. The last thing she wanted to do was blurt out that it was their first date, that would unravel the entire web of lies they worked so hard to build. Although their dumpling dinner could've been considered one.

"You really like him B, don't you?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah".

It took Beth by surprise how easy it was for her to admit that. There was no hesitation and it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders once the confession was made. _Shit._ She was in more trouble than she thought.

Ruby passed her a black knee length polka dot dress from the rack, "try this. It's you".

That dress was exactly what she was looking for. It hugged her body in all the right spots and she hoped the lack of cleavage would leave him wanting more. It was $45 and would pay for itself in the long run.

Her phone buzzed while they waited in the checkout line. At first she thought it would be Rio asking what time she would be home or giving hints about the restaurant he got a reservation at, but instead it was Dean. It was a simple text that read, 'call me. I'm sorry'.

"Text his sorry ass back and tell him to leave you alone".

Beth appreciated Ruby's input, she really did, but the last thing she wanted to do was give Dean false hope because he would incorrectly read between the lines and assume they were back together. It happened before and she didn't have it in her to correct him. They dated two more years after that, but he swore that he changed and it appeared that way until she found him with Amber.

The day wasn't about Dean, it was about her and Rio. "Later".

Ruby took a small bite of the pretzel she had been carrying around, "where's he taking you?".

"He didn't say. Hector's tacos is the closest".

"The food truck?" Ruby asked. It was a damn good food truck. During rush hour the lines would wrap around the corner. One night Rio stood in line for thirty minutes because she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. He brought home the most incredible taco she had ever tasted in her life. Now that Beth was daydreaming about them, it wouldn't be the worst date she's ever had. 

"It's gonna be great".

They didn't need a fancy five star restaurant to make the night a success. It would be as long as it was Rio sitting across from her. She couldn't help but wonder if him suddenly asking her out had to do with them having sex, or if like her, his feelings were all out of wack.

Beth got ready before Rio, wanting to make sure her hair and makeup was on point. She settled on strawberry flavored chapstick and a light blush.

Rio drank in the sight before him, likely undressing her with his eyes if his bottom lip being pulled into his mouth was any indication. "Wow, y–".

"–It's new" she cringed inwardly, of course it was new. 

She hadn't been that nervous since going to her junior prom with a college boyfriend. There were so many expectations and she wasn't ready for any of them. That didn't apply to Rio. He would never force her into something that she didn't want to do. Everything between them had been at her discretion.

Rio held her hand until they reached his car, releasing his hold to open the door for her. It was just as clean as she imagined it would be. There were no dust bunnies on the dash, no garbage on the floorboards or CDs tossed aimlessly in the backseat, it was the complete opposite of Annie's car. They should definitely take his BMW more places and leave hers in the back lot. 

"Where are we going?" Beth asked as the car roared to life.

"It's a secret".

About fifteen minutes in she started to recognize her surroundings, they were near the bar. He didn't. He couldn't. It was impossible. "Did you get a reservation at Ottava Via?".

They came to a stop at the corner restaurant, parking at the first meter. "Hungry?".

"I–yeah".

Ottava Via was close to a five star restaurant and from the reviews Ruby read, the only thing that prevented guests from giving it a perfect rating was its limited menu. He held open the door for her, placing his hand on her back as they walked toward the hostess. It was always odd being on the receiving end of service. 

There were small wooden tables around the building, a bar in the back and cute artwork adorned the walls with italian phrases and artists. It was charming.

They were seated in front of a framed piece entitled Frida and Diego in Detroit which made the experience all that more memorable. Beth only frequented the museum when Frida's paintings were on display, not that Rio would've known that unless he talked to Ruby. Had he?

Beth wanted to avoid anything that contained garlic, just in case the evening ended like she hoped. Skimming over the ingredients, that was going to further limit their choices.

"Can I start you out with some drinks?".

There were only a few cocktail options. Maybe they should've stayed home, ordered tacos and cracked open a new bottle of bourbon as they enjoyed each other's company. No, Rio put a lot of thought into the evening and they earned this night out. 

"I'll have a Michigan Avenue Manhattan".

"Make that two" Rio added, handing the drink menus back to the waiter.

"How did you pull this off? Ruby tried to get a reservation for months".

"Called in a favor".

Was it wrong that Beth's thoughts instantly went to Carlito? They were already in hot water with him and the last thing they needed was to be further indebted to him over a date night. "Carlito?" Beth asked quietly.

"Nah" he laughed, "Cisco's sister works here. I got him a job when he got out".

She let out a sigh of relief. _Good._

"Do I get to meet your friends? You've met mine".

He tapped the sides of his glass, "aight. Tomorrow night. Beer pong tourney at the bar".

Rio ordered the arancini which was fried risotto balls stuffed with cheese, and Beth chose the margherita pizza which seemed like the safest bet.

Halfway through the dinner she reached across the table to try his food. It looked way easier in the movies. Beth's hand bumped into his glass of water which thankfully didn't spill. Rio let out a low chuckle and picked a generous amount of risotto up on his fork, sliding it across the plate to collect additional sauce. He held his other hand under the fork to ensure it wouldn't drop on the table and once it was close enough to her, Beth wrapped her lips around it. "Mm. Pizza?".

Rio wasn't too fond of basil on pizza but other than that it was a nice dinner.

When they got back to the car, Rio turned the heat up so she wouldn't freeze in her short sleeves. The temperature fluctuated, one minute it could be ninety and the next it's in the low sixties. It hadn't even dawned on her to bring a jacket when they left. As soon as they pulled away from the curb, Beth turned her hand over so that it was palm up over the gearshift and Rio instantly took it, interlocking their fingers. 

He unlocked the front door and it was clear that they both had the same question in mind, what now?

Rio had to get around early to set everything up for the beer pong tournament at The Royal, and if Beth wanted to meet everyone he hung around with she would have to do the same.

It was Mick's theme. He was given creative control for one theme night and of all the options _that_ was what he chose. While Beth would've preferred karaoke night and the chance to sing dancing queen, she had a few tricks up her sleeve from her college days that could help her out if she were to be challenged.

Beth initiated the first kiss of night, bringing her hands up to fumble with his collar button. With their clothes gone, Rio settled against the headboard with his legs crossed, "come'er".

She lowered herself onto him, both releasing a soft moan at the action.

Rio tilted her chin up with his hand and kissed her dimple before moving to her lips. As he deepened this kiss by cupping her face, Beth wrapped her legs around him almost hug-like and began to grind. "Ah".

There was barely any space between them, bodies connected in every way imaginable. His hands dropped to her ass and he smiled into their kiss. This was different. Beth couldn't describe it, but it felt _really really_ good. 

They continued rocking their hips for a while building up to their climaxes. Beth placed her hands behind her and leaned back, feeling Rio's fingers dig into her hips as he began to thrust. "Yeah!".

Grabbing her pillow, Beth placed it under her back to keep her position and moved her hand to circle her clit, momentarily causing Rio to break his eye contact with her.

"Jesus, Elizabeth".

Her giggle was cut off by a moan, "there… mm".

Beth let out a sharp breath and dropped onto the bed. A few thrusts later, Rio came inside her, both breathing hard as they came down from their high. 

"Fuckin sending Greg a fruit basket or some shit".

Beth laughed and held her arms up so Rio could pull her back up to him. "Or muffins".

Who would've thought an almost blind date at a wedding could've brought them so much happiness. 

Pill, check.

Clothes, check.

Beth was now ready to play beer pong.

It was far busier than she imagined it would be. There was a board for the six teams and a trophy for the winner, Mick had gone all out. Beth sat on her usual stool and watched Rio round the bar to help out with drink orders. His black shirt gave her a clear view of his bar tattoos as he dried the next row of glasses. It was simple but she loved that look. 

"You want help?" Beth asked.

"Nah….hold on".

When he went to take another order, she took matters into her own hands and ignored the sign that read, 'employees only beyond this point'. They needed all hands on deck and how hard could it really be?

She underestimated how challenging it was.

A strawberry daiquiri, an apple martini, a screwdriver. Half of them Beth had heard of but never made for herself, so she was elated when Mick handed over his cheat sheet. It was a small white binder he kept hidden under the bottom shelf. It covered everything from the basics to his custom drinks they served during the superbowl. 

Beth flipped to the B tab with the intention of skipping over the bourbon on the rocks recipe, when something on that page caught her eye. The drink's name was crossed out and written over in pencil, "the Elizabeth?".

"Rio's idea. Need me to make the bramble?".

"No...no, I found it," she said, turning around to grab the gin and creme de mure. 

"Bethie?".

She froze, breath caught in her throat. Beth slowly turned around to find Dean sitting at the far end of the bar, his blue striped tie loose around his neck as if he had another rough day at the dealership. It was a sight that she was far too familiar with. "So you like, work here now?".

"No, I'm–".

Dean cut her off, "come home. I miss you. I'm sorry".

He enclosed his hands around hers, placing them on the bar top. It wasn't the time or place to deal with their dirty laundry. Actually Beth didn't need to talk to him at all. He cheated on her with several women and on multiple occasions. He was just upset that he got caught and that Beth wouldn't forgive him this time around.

"Bethie–".

"Gotta problem here?" Rio asked, jaw tightening when he clocked their hands. Beth uttered "no" before pulling away from her ex-boyfriend.

"This doesn't concern you...mr. throat tats".

"Dean, you're drunk. Go home" Beth said, trying to defuse the situation before it caught the attention of more onlookers. She didn't recognize the guy Dean was with, but the uniform read Boland Motors so he must've been one of his sales associates. Annie would've made plenty of jokes regarding his thick mustache, receding hairline and scrawny arms.

"Nah, see this does concern me".

Dean scoffed, downing the remainder of his gin before slamming the glass to the counter, "well she's still my girlfriend so–".

"It's been over Dean. I've moved on".

Rio gestured for Cisco, the bouncer for the night, to remove Dean from the premises. "My _fiancè_ would like you to leave now".

The pain that flashed across Dean's face as he was escorted out the back, his friend in tow, made running into him worth it. Rio acted as backup instead of taking control of the situation.

Beth turned to face him and brought her hand to the back of his head, pushing up on her toes until their lips connected. She could hear Mick whistling near them and a few patrons around them cheered when Rio's hand visibly slipped beneath her shirt and rested on the small of her back. 

She pulled away and smiled shyly, running her hand down his forearm, "I lo– I'm gonna have a drink".

"Alright. What's your poison tonight?".

"I'll have an Elizabeth".

Rio grabbed a clean glass from beneath the counter, added a couple ice cubes and topped it off with a generous amount of bourbon before passing it off, his fingers brushing against her own in the process. "It was a surprise".

"I'm flattered. But this doesn't mean that I'm letting you win at beer pong".

A big smile formed on his lips. He titled his head up to inform her that there was a table available. _You want to lose in front of your friend? Fine._

Beth took the far side of the table facing the entrance; Rio was looking toward the pool table. Five cups were set up on each end to ensure that the games wouldn't go on for hours. The last thing they needed was for a bar fight to break out, neither of them had cash for that and Mick certainly wouldn't chip in despite it being his idea.

Beth bounced the golf ball on the table and it landed in the center cup. It definitely was a lucky shot, usually it took her two rounds to get warmed up. Rio downed the vodka as the remaining bar-goers gathered around them. Now he couldn't lose.

Rio sunk the far left cup and she hissed when she downed the contents. It burned her throat and she instantly chased it with some bourbon.

"You ain't gonna make it".

She closed one eye as if to line the ball up with a cup and tossed it. The ball bounced on the rim before falling into another one, "oh!"

"Damn" Rio rubbed the back of his neck.

Mick shook his head and began to wipe down the counter, halting only to say, "love birds finish it up. I'm on lock up".

"We can close," Beth suggested. 

Rio's brows raised when he caught her glancing in the bathroom's direction, "yea man, don't worry bout it".


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie and Mick know best, or so they think they do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another filler chapter and I hope you find it entertaining! It's crazy to think there's only 2 chapters left to this! 
> 
> Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Beth closed the bathroom door behind her as Rio got rid of the remaining patrons. There were barely twenty people still on the dance floor and Mick had already closed the bar for the night, taking them up on their offer to lock up. 

There was a bright yellow poster on the door for a taxi service, she let her eyes linger on it briefly before making her way over to the sink. Paper towels were tossed about on the floor in a blatant disregard for bar staff, and Beth fought the urge to scrounge around in the storage closet in search for pinchers to clean it up. That could wait, being with Rio could not. Never had the thought of sex in a public restroom sounded so good.

When the music died down, Beth pressed herself against the sink and took a deep breath, hoping to shake her nerves. Rio joined her in the dimly lit room a couple minutes later and locked the door behind him, "the stragglers wouldn't leave".

Beth gave a slow nod, keeping her eyes on his as he made his way over to her. Rio kept his hands to his side, waiting for her to make the first move and Beth did by running her hand down his chest until it landed on his belt. She made quick work of it, dropping it carelessly at their feet.

Turning around to once again face the mirror, Beth hiked up her dress and soon felt his hand on her thigh, fingers slipping beneath her panties. 

She tried to imagine that they were back at their place, fooling around in their bathroom and not in his bar, but then Rio yanked her black panties off and those thoughts went with them. "You sure, mama?".

"Yes".

Beth lifted her leg slightly on the sink's edge and leaned forward, gripping the corner of the marble sink as Rio slowly pushed inside. 

Rio waited for a few seconds and then began to slowly rock his hips. There was something about the mirror. Beth couldn't look away and found herself almost memorizing every small movement his face made as he pounded into her. The crease of his brows as he concentrated on his thrusts, the way he bit his lip whenever she moaned and the times when he would glance up and smirk when they made eye contact. 

"Turn around" he said, pulling out without finishing. Beth did as he said, bracing herself against the sink as he helped wrap her left leg around his waist. 

When Beth sat too far back, that sudden movement caused the faucet to turn on. She was usually a fan of the sensors, they helped prevent the spread of germs and came in handy when she needed to quickly wash off a dish, but in this current moment, the one where the bottom of her dress was now completely soaked, she loathed them.

Reaching around her, Rio rang out her dress by squeezing the fabric tightly in his hand. Embarrassing. Everyone had terrible bar hookups, but it had been great up until that point. She readjusted her leg and nodded for him to continue. 

Rio rubbed his cock over her pussy before slipping back in. He instantly dropped his hand between their bodies to circle her clit.

"Shit" Beth dug her nails into his shoulder.

A faint grunt escaped his lips when Beth clenched around him. Rio soon found release, his body twitching slightly as he did so.

Beth could feel him seeping out and instead of immediately cleaning up, she pulled him into a kiss and wrapped her legs tightly around him so that she wouldn't slide off the sink. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but all romance died when she opened her eyes and clocked not only the stall but the tampon machines off to her left. "We should–".

"Leave? Yea" Rio finished her sentence. 

He waved his freehand in front of the towel dispenser and passed her a few, helping Beth not only clean herself off but the area around them.

Beth's dress was still damp by the time they made it to his car, for all they knew the faucet could've turned back on in between their panting and moaning and they wouldn't have noticed. They were completely enamored with each other. 

Their wedding was three days away and there was still so much to get done. Rio needed to do his final tux fitting, then there were the pre-wedding parties that neither Annie or Mick would let them skip out on and she couldn't forget the church rehearsal and dinner that had her stomach in knots. The plan seemed foolproof in the very beginning, but now that four weeks had passed, Beth felt very differently about the whole situation. This wasn't Greg's friend anymore, it was her Rio.

The party was played like a scavenger hunt. Rio's phone went off at 12AM, stirring both of them from their slumber. Beth groaned and buried her face in his chest, shaking her head when Annie's voice came over the speaker. _"Wake up, baby girl"._

"1400 Park Avenue, Alright. Yea, soon".

Rio rubbed his face, seriously considering whether or not to dock Mick's pay for waking him up at that ungodly hour. The sun wasn't even out yet and Beth was asleep in his arms. "Gotta get up mama".

Beth tilted her head back slightly, refusing to open her eyes and Rio answered by lowering his to peck her lips, bringing the tiniest smile to her face. She caved and they started the fifty minute drive to the first of two locations. 

It was the community center where Annie's reception was held. The one where they inadvertently set the stage for their wedding. There was a plain white envelope on the door awaiting them. Beth gave Rio her phone so that he could shine the flashlight while she read the next clue out loud, "now that you remember where your journey began. 245 Michigan Street".

"Fuckin back near the apartment".

Beth yawned, "Annie could've done this later". They were running on fumes. Beth tucked the note into her purse and slowly made her way back to his BMW, accidentally kicking a small pebble in the process. They couldn't see anything in the pitch darkness. 

The GPS led them to a strip club about eight blocks away from their apartment, a place Beth didn't know existed until that moment. After triple checking with the ever trustworthy google, they got out of the car and made their way inside. 

The neon lights advertising full nude dancers and half priced beers had drawn in a packed house. Loud music played overhead and Beth's head began to pound, if they knew this was what Annie and Mick had in mind they would've gone to bed at 6pm. 

They found their group at a table near the entrance. Mick was already two drinks in and Stan had his arm wrapped around Ruby's shoulders. "This was their idea" she tried to yell over the music.

Annie rented one of the club's private rooms and Mick was in charge of the entertainment. He kept it hush hush, but reassured everyone that he knew exactly how to get the party started. 

They were ushered into the back of the building by a stripper named Krystal. She had on clear stilettos, a pink bikini and quickly gave them the rundown on how bottle service worked once they were inside. Annie couldn't help but tell Krystal that she was stunning. It wasn't even the vodka talking, she all but pat Mick on the back for a job well done. Only Krystal wasn't their entertainer for the next hour.

Mick disappeared into the back room and soon the lights dimmed. Ruby questioned their decision to hold the party at a club considering she was pregnant, but now her more immediate concern was whether their seat was a safe place to sit. She saw those documentaries that involved black lights in these very establishments and it left an unsettling feeling in her stomach. Thankfully there was sanitizer in their car, Ruby planned on dousing herself with it.

The stage lights near the pole turned on and Annie spit out her drink at the sight before her. It was unexpected, startling and quite possibly the funniest thing she had seen all week. 

Mick was standing in front of them in a long white boxing robe and a cowboy hat. "Don't worry, I've seen magic Mike". 

Ruby's eyes went wide in shock, unable to look away from the stage. 

Pony by Ginuwine soon filled the room and Mick disrobed to reveal assless leather chaps. His body of tattoos were on full display as he moved fluidly across the stage. He lunged forward with his right leg and dragged his left leg along, in a side to side movement to get to the front of the stage. 

"He's got a pale ass" Annie yelled conveniently during the instrumental section. With Greg at the country club with his parents, she was free to let loose. 

Mick dropped to his knees and began grinding, that's when Beth lost it. She turned to press her face into Rio's arm. 

"Yeah" Annie tossed some singles in Mick's direction as the song winded down. "Now my gift sucks".

Stan passed Mick a few bills that blew back in their direction, applauding him for putting himself out there. It took a certain type of man to go out butt naked and dance in front of friends and strangers alike. They drank for a little while longer, listening to everything from pour some sugar on me to save a horse, ride a cowboy. It was 1AM when they left and at the end of the night Annie had on the hat.

"That was–" Beth was at a loss of words. She barely knew Mick before tonight and know she felt like she knew all of him. 

"I gotta pay him more, huh?".

Beth laughed and reached for his hand, holding it until they reached his car. They survived the party together, so maybe the rehearsal dinner wouldn't be as bad as she originally feared. 

At this point it was 1:30AM and they should've been dying to crawl back into bed and pass out for the rest of the morning, but Rio had other plans. He brushed her hair off to the side and kissed her neck, hand slipping beneath her shirt to palm her breast. 

"Can't fuckin wait to call you my wife".

"Me neither" She confessed. 

Beth wasn't sure who moved first, but soon their hands were everywhere in an attempt to rid each other of their clothes. Too many buttons, that was once again Beth's complaint.

She playfully shoved Rio to their bed, swaying her hips as she pushed her panties down. Maybe the songs from the strip club had stuck with her. 

Beth straddled his chest in a kneeling position and slowly scooched forward until her thighs were on either side of his head. "Do we need a safe word?".

"Nah mama, come closer".

She felt exposed and vulnerable in a way she hadn't before. It was new, not only the position but the way Rio made her feel. It was Beth's idea, something she'd always wanted to try but never worked up the courage to ask Dean to do. 

Rio rested his hands on her thighs and began licking her clit, occasionally thrusting it inside her. "Oh" she moaned, gripping the headboard. His beard tickled her inner thighs and she wouldn't have it any other way.

At first she grinded slowly out of fear that she would hurt him, but then he'd hold his tongue still and she couldn't help but rub against it, picking up the pace as she chased her climax. 

He resumed sucking her clit, fingertips digging into her ass as she squirmed above him. "Rio–". 

After a few beats, Beth rolled off and laughed softly as Rio too tried to regain his breath. What they had was good. "Next time try Christopher. I wanna see somethin".

"Who's Christopher?" She asked, making herself comfortable against him. The left side of the bed was neglected once again due to how close Rio held her.

When he didn't answer, Beth tipped her head up to look at his face. It was at that moment she realized it was _him,_ "thanks for telling me".

He hummed and kissed her forehead, "sleep, Elizabeth".

"Goodnight, _Christopher"._

He chuckled, dropping his hand to rest on her ass, "I'm gonna regret sharin that, huh?".

A few minutes later she noticed that Rio was sound asleep, and Beth allowed herself to run her finger along his sharp jaw, feeling the fresh scruff beneath her fingertips. "I love you" she whispered, snuggling against him in hopes that they'd both be refreshed in the morning. 

Tomorrow they would have their wedding rehearsal and Beth couldn't wait to say their 'I do's' and spend the next year or even a lifetime together. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Mick's surprise, Beth and Rio no longer know what to expect at rehearsals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With only 1 chapter left, I wanted to thank everyone for reading, leaving kudos and comments, it means a lot! ❤
> 
> I hope Mick's performance is still on your minds and that you enjoy this chapter!

_"They ain't comin"._

_Beth was confused and the deep crease between her brows confirmed it, "who?"._

_She was in her wedding dress, halfway down the hall on her way to marry the man of her dreams. Who would dare ruin her day?_

_"Nobody," Rio said, passing her a note from Ruby._

_They found out it was a lie, a scheme to return the gifts for cash and refused to be a part of it. Beth's chest was heavy as she rushed to the altar. The pews were empty, bouquets were left abandoned in the center of the aisle and Dean, looking as cocky as ever stood beside the officiant, "come home, Bethie"._

_"No!..._ No!" Beth's eyes opened, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked around the dark room. It was her own fault that she was having nightmares. She made the mistake of reading stories on her lunch break about weddings ending in disaster. While they appeared happy together, there was always a little voice in the back of her mind telling her it was part of his act.

Beth shifted slightly and Rio readjusted his hold around her, "still ain't asleep mama?".

"I was".

He glanced at the clock, the neon green numbers showed that it was barely 4AM. It would've been easier if her nightmares were of Mick stripping.

"Would you–do you wanna, you know"

When Rio nodded, she pulled herself real close to him and lifted her upper leg over his hip.

Brushing her panties off to the side, Rio rubbed the tip of his cock over her pussy. He was taking his time, teasing her with every graze of her clit, so Beth took matters into her own hands and wrapped her hand around him. She gave a few strokes and watched as his eyes closed, not missing how Rio uttered "fuck" under his breath before she pushed him inside of her.

"Never gonna get bored of this".

Beth smiled and ran her hand down his back, letting it come to a rest on his ass. Rio stopped thrusting and kissed her, attempting to slow things down for a minute, but couldn't stop the low sound from the back of his throat when she clenched around him. 

Soon Beth's panting drowned out the sound of the locusts outside their windows, it was music to his ears. Rio pushed in deeper and she dug her nails into his shoulder, that was the spot. "Ri–Christopher! Shit".

He dropped his hand between their bodies and rubbed her pussy as she came down, chuckling at every twitch her legs made.

"You remembered".

She hummed, pulling his hand away when she couldn't take any more. They had a big day ahead of them and needed to get some shuteye. Annie would judge them if they both walked into the church looking like zombies, ignoring the fact that it was her who kept them out past midnight at a club.

Rio was back on his morning shift and Beth was once again handed an apron and told to make rounds, making sure everyone's food was to their liking. 

"Ma'am" a young woman tapped her on the shoulder, her three kids were busy doodling on their coloring page, "can we get more ketchup over here?".

"Yeah, I'll be right back".

The dining room was packed, a full house and it was times like this where Beth wished she took Rio up on the bartending lessons. There would be less walking, more talking and she wouldn't have to hear about Tina's foot fungus over lunch. 

Maybe the offer would be back on the table after the wedding. Who was she kidding? Rio wouldn't want her around after their year was over, they didn't know anything about each other other than where their scars were and that was accidental. 

"Here's your ketchup. Can I get you anything else?".

The lady's oldest son pushed his empty milk glass in her direction. "I'll bring two".

After working her ass off, Beth only made $88 dollars for the day and that included tips. There were a lot of cheapskates in that evening, all gripping about losing the Kentucky Derby. Collectively between the seven men, they left her $5. She believed the bartender was tipped better than she was and he didn't have to clean up their spills whenever they got pissed and slammed their fists to the table. It was just another day in her life.

But all dreadful eight hour shifts had to come to an end and luckily for Beth, she had the wedding rehearsal to take her mind off everything. 

_The officiant stood at the far end of the hall and motioned for Beth and Todd to step forward, immediately holding his hand up to tell Annie to wait. Now Beth may have been invited to a lot of weddings, but she had only been involved in one or two, so she took the hand to mean freeze, so she did._

_Her arm was still linked with Todd's and he tried to tug her along, but Beth stood her ground. They had already attempted the rehearsal three times before because Greg kept forgetting his place and Beth didn't want to be the reason for round four. She shook her head._

_"Move it along" the officiant yelled, letting out an exasperated sigh when they came to a stop beside him._

_"Sorry" Beth apologized._

_"Now Annie, you'll stand here and Greg – no here"._

Beth hoped that her and Rio's would go smoother. 

After exiting off the wrong freeway ramp, she finally arrived at the church. Rio's mom, Rita met her at her car door with a small baggie of cheez-its, wanting her to get something in her stomach after a long day of work. Rio was visibly shaking his head by the entrance, clearly Rita had taken off from him, "eat, mija".

"Thank you".

Rita lightly pinched her cheek, which hadn't happened since she was seven, and smiled, "I'm glad my Christopher found you".

"Ma leave her alone".

She took the baggie from Beth's hand and pat Rio on the back, telling them both that she'd be inside. It honestly surprised Beth that her parents weren't out there checking for a baby bump. They weren't exactly careful, but they covered all their bases. 

"You'll stand here Beth, we'll do the vows. You're still writing your own, correct?".

Beth nodded, "yeah, there almost finished".

"Then you'll share your first kiss. Any questions?" The officiant asked. He wouldn't be able to direct them once the wedding started, so he would rather answer everything then and now.

When the family and wedding party were silent, they were instructed on how to exit the wedding. They ran through it two more times until it was deemed perfect. The only mishap was when Annie stepped out of her flip flop.

They found themselves at Ottava Via once again, but this time the restaurant was rented out just for their families. Cisco's sister must've owed Rio several favors to get the owner to close down for the night. Ruby was elated, between her pregnancy cravings and desire to eat there, she was one of the first few through the door. 

"He's a keeper" Ruby leaned in closer, dropping her voice just a tad bit, "You think he can get me and Stan one for Valentines Day?".

Beth laughed softly, "I'll ask".

The small chit chat was disrupted when Annie tapped on her champagne glass. She moved to the front of the table, as Beth had done during her own maid of honor toast, and began her speech, "a toast to the happy couple. If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have met".

Greg rubbed his temples as if he hadn't taken credit for it a couple days prior. He grabbed Annie's hand and attempted to stop her speech on Rio ending Beth's dry spell. While Ruby's eyes were wide, their parents thankfully hadn't put two and two together. 

"Deansie wasn't getting it done. I tr–".

Greg cut her off, "we're happy for you, and thanks for the fruit basket man".

Beth turned to Rio. He didn't. He wouldn't.

_"Fucking sendin Greg a fruit basket or some shit"._

"It's nothin" Rio placed his hand on her thigh. He did.

Up next was Ruby. She took center stage just as Annie had and placed her hand on the top of her bump. The closer she got to her due date, the more time she spent talking to her baby and rubbing soothing circles over her bellybutton. 

"B, you're my best friend. My sister. My soulmate, sorry Stan. And I've never seen you this happy in the 20 years I've known you. I hate you".

Beth's eyes welled up, "I hate your face".

Ruby turned to Rio, "you better treat her right homie or we'll have a problem. To Beth a–".

All the emotions that she buried deep inside came rushing to the surface. Beth abruptly stood up causing the chair to squeak against the floor, and sprinted out of Ottava Via, leaving everyone completely baffled.

"Order desert," Rio said.

He tossed his napkin onto the table and rushed after her in haste. Beth didn't get far. When he caught up to her, she was looking over the restaurant's back balcony, all her weight on her forearms. "What's wrong, mama?".

"I–I can't do this. I can't lie… not to them".

Her breath hitched as the tears flowed, "I can't lie anymore".

Everything was easier when feelings weren't involved, before they had sex, before they dragged all their family and friends into their mess. None of this would've happened if she remained single and was content with lying on her empty apartment floor.

"Is that what you want? I ain't gonna make you do somethin' you don't wanna do". 

Beth wiped her face with the back of her hand, "no, I want too".

She was confused. While she wished Ruby and Annie knew the truth, the last four weeks with Rio were some of her happiest.

"Yea?" He asked.

"Yeah. We saw Mick's ass, it'd be stupid to back out now".

Rio gave a hearty chuckle, that image was seared in everyone's mind. "Alright. Let's go back in and get you a bourbon".

"Two".

He leaned down to peck her lips not once, but twice, "two".

Beth reassured everyone that she was fine and that it was just a temporary case of cold feet. Linda was afraid that her daughter would be the next runaway bride to make the news. No, marrying Rio was the only thing she was sure of.

Her family was big into traditions, so Rio was forced to stay at Mick's place for the night. The rules sucked and neither of them wanted to abide by them, but they both knew Linda would call at all hours of the night to ensure that they were.

"See ya tomorrow, Elizabeth".

She swallowed hard, "I'll be the one in white".

Beth searched his face briefly before pushing up on her toes to kiss him. Her hand found the side of his neck to deepen it, ignoring the whistles from her side of the family. 

"You ain't makin' this easy, mama" he whispered against her lips.

"Good".

In less than twenty-four hours Rio would have the money needed to pay off the loan shark and Beth would be able to have furniture that actually belonged to her. 

Beth stared at the white ceiling for hours before getting out of bed. She fumbled around in the dark to find the video game controller in an attempt to play grand theft auto. She was terrible at it, but it made her feel like Rio was at home. They were spending one night apart, when had they gotten so used to each other's presence?

Beth's cell rang and she frantically searched the couch cushions. Was it another emergency? Surely Greg wouldn't let Annie take the skateboard down the steps the night before her wedding. She found it under her ass. 

It was Rio. 

"Hi?".

"What are you doin?" He asked and she could hear a loud TV in the background. Mick must've passed out on his couch again.

Beth turned off the video game that she had no clue how to play in the first place, "sitting here".

He hummed, "what are you wearin?".

"My blue gown" She looked down at the stretched out white shirt, burgundy sweatpants and the pair of fuzzy blue socks that she had on since the apartment was cold. It felt fairly obvious why he called, but still she had to ask, "is Mick there?".

"Nah, went out with your sister". 

God help whatever club they wound up at.

Beth raised her hips off the couch, wiggled her pants down and spread her legs, feeling the chilly air hit them instantaneously. She only had phone sex once and it was when Dean was at a car conference in Seattle. It didn't go well and she had to finish once they hung up. Everything else had worked with Rio so why wouldn't this? "Do you want to–".

"–Elizabeth, always".

Beth put on the speaker and placed her phone on the middle cushion so that it was close enough that she could hear him, but far enough that she wouldn't knock it off. The call disconnecting would be the ultimate mood killer.

She dipped her hand between her legs and began to circle her clit. The beginning of their phone call mostly consisted of staggered breathing from both of them. Then Beth slipped in a finger, "Rio–".

"Add another, Elizabeth". She did.

Beth pumped her fingers into herself, picking up the pace when Rio cursed loudly, picturing him double fisting his cock. It was almost like he was there when she closed her eye, "you're close" 

"Fuck. C'mon"

"A–ah god" She resumed rubbing her pussy until she came.

Rio's laugh soon came over the speaker, "ain't quite the same".

Beth's head rolled back so that it was resting on the arm of the couch. Now she was exhausted and far too lazy to bend down and pick her blue panties off the floor, so she pulled the thin checkered blanket over her legs. 

"Tomorrow night".

She could almost hear his smile through the phone, "g'night, Elizabeth".

Ruby, despite being a few weeks shy of her delivery date, managed to be at Beth's apartment right at 7AM to help her pack everything they would need that morning. Make up, hair brush and a change of clothes for after the reception. They learned from Annie's mistakes.

"You plan on being a runaway bride?" Ruby joked when she noticed that Beth grabbed a pair of tennis shoes instead of her heels. 

"No, i'm just tired".

"Just want until the honeymoon" Ruby elbowed her playfully in the side, "I'm talking all night long". 

She started to dancing her way across the small room, occasionally breaking out the robot as she repeated the chorus. It was her favorite move on the dance floor.

"Could you not?".

"What's happening all night?" Annie asked. Somehow she managed to get dressed before them. She even had to run home to get her sparkly green eyeshadow.

"Her and Rio".

Annie wiggled her eyebrows, "boning on your honeymoon is ten times better. Is he kinky? He seems kinky, like, bite your ass and have you call him daddy".

"I–I'm gonna to get ready".

"That's not a no, baby girl" Ruby snorted, passing the veil over to Annie.

Mick stopped by to exchange their vows. Beth had gone in and completely erased everything she had written. Her vows were written during week two and her feelings had changed drastically since then. They made memories and whether or not he was her fake fiancè, nothing could take them away. 

Everything was going according to plan and her nightmare two nights ago was just that, a nightmare. Ruby and Annie were by her side, her mom had peeked in at her dress and her dad was waiting for her in the hallway, ready to hand her off to Rio. This was really happening. After a month of putting it together, it seemed almost insane that they were following through with it.

"We're ready for you" the director yelled through the door. 

Ruby and Mick were the first down the aisle, and even though they had practiced beside each other, the height difference cracked Annie up, "he's so short".

The director huffed, "Walk..Annie, walk!"

Tulip petals were scattered on the floor, another last minute detail Rita must've worked out with her florist. The day seemed almost too perfect.

The wedding march began to play over the church's loud speakers and Beth slowly made her way down the aisle, glancing up every now and then to see if the smile remained on Rio's face. It was wider than she had ever saw.

She walked past Carlito and his lackeys who occipied the entire second row. They were all dressed in black suits and somehow didn't raise alarm with the rest of the party. Beth had a feeling all along that they were waiting for them to slip up, especially after she didn't cower to his intimidation tactics at her job and that's why Carlito didn't return.

Beth passed her bouquet to Ruby and listened to the officiant ramble on about soulmates. It was the same talking points that he gave during rehearsal.

"The couple has decided to recite their own vows, Beth, why don't you go first?".

Annie handed her the envelope that contained Rio's vows for her. He refused to give her any hints and whenever she tried to sneak a peek, he would hide it or slide it under the placemats.

Beth opened the folded sheet of paper and read it silently in case she needed to improvise. Her eyes widened when she saw all that was written was, "I'm all in. Will you marry me for real?".

She looked across the way to see Rio down on one knee with an open ring box in his hands. There were murmurs throughout the church and they only echoed due to the high ceilings, all of their guests were confused.

"Elizabeth Irene Marks, you wanna be my wife?".

Those damn tears threatened to spill again, "yes, I will".

"Yea?" He stood up and slid the ring that used to belong to his grandmother on her finger. Rushing forward, he captured her lips and got his hand slightly tangled in her freshly curled hair, not that either of them cared.

The officiant cleared his throat, "we're not to that part yet".

Beth reluctantly broke the kiss and ran her thumb over his bottom lip to wipe off some red lipstick. "I do".

"We haven't–".

"I do too, man" Rio cut the officiant off.

"Well, by the power invested in me by the state of Michigan, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride".

Rio didn't need to be told twice. He took two big steps forward to close the gap between them and cupped her face, leaning down until their lips met again. 

As their family and friends applauded, Annie could be heard telling their mom to stop crying cause her mascara was running. 

Rio brought his lips over to her ear and whispered, "love you too".

He heard her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I do" is only the beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thank you again to everyone for reading this, leaving kudos and comments. It means a lot and I enjoyed reading them all. It's crazy we're at chapter 10 already.
> 
> This chapter does contain a time jump. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

Heels on the hardwood floor, that's all Beth could hear as she prepared for the bouquet toss. All the eligible women were trying to find the perfect spot, completely unaware that Beth already had a plan for it. It wasn't cheating since there were no rulebooks on the tradition. Ruby didn't want to participate out of fear of being trampled or elbowed, that was perfectly understandable, that didn't mean that she should be left out of the running entirely.

Beth turned her back to the women and did two fake outs, raising the flowers above her head only to bring it back down to her chest. Ruby was in the process of recording the event on her phone when the flowers blocked the screen. Beth decided to just hand the bouquet off to Ruby, "you're next lady".

Back in highschool, Stan only had three dreams. He wanted to become a police officer, marry Ruby and have a family of his own. Their plans got a little out of order. Stan just graduated from the academy, he was still waiting for the perfect time to propose and they had a daughter on the way–Sara. They had the name picked out already. They were the true definition of soulmates and Beth was extremely lucky to have them both in her life.

"Gonna make me cry, B".

Ruby waved the bouquet in the air, and it might've been to rub it in the faces of the women who celebrated her sitting this one out. As Beth took a few selfies with the girls, Mick dragged over a chair, covered in white cloth. It was now time for the garter toss.

_Greg was into theater and with Annie's help, he wanted to give a performance of a lifetime. He spent hundreds of dollars at a party warehouse to make sure their wedding was unforgettable and couldn't be outdone by any of their friends._

_He reached under Annie's dress and pulled out a children's baseball bat. The crowd laughed when he passed it to Ben._

_Greg rubbed his chin before giving it another attempt, only this time he pulled out a fake baby. Annie gasped, bringing her hand up to her mouth. Beth and Ruby looked at each other from across the room, both shaking their heads at the skit. It was dorky and that summed them up as a couple._

_He went back under for the third and final time to remove the garter from Annie's thigh. They got a standing ovation from their guests._

Both Beth and Rio had witnessed the brilliance that was their ceremony and considered skipping it all together, but then Annie reminded them that memories lasted a lifetime and they wouldn't want to have any regrets. It was true, Beth didn't know when or if she would get married again, so they decided to keep it simple. The kids were in a play room with legos, an xbox and juice pouches. 

Beth took a seat in the chair, feeling slightly uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on her as Rio unbuttoned his solid black vest. He dropped to his knees and raised her dress just enough for his upper body to be covered. Usually when he was between her legs, she would be writhing and begging for him to fuck her, but now wasn't the time for that. Their family and friends were looking on and after Annie's performance, expectations were high and it certainly didn't help that Eric was watching his new son-in-law like a hawk.

Placing her leg on his shoulder was supposed to make it easier to remove the garter, the last thing either of them wanted to do was prolong this portion of the evening. It was a compromising position and she supposed that was the excitement of it all. Rio apparently had a change of heart because once he was under her dress, he began kissing his way up her leg. Beth felt heat rush to her cheeks and all she could do was look up at the ceiling.

If she learned anything from her time with Rio, it was that he was handsy. It didn't matter what time of day. He'd have them on her shoulders, hips, breasts and one night he even massaged her feet after her second twelve hour shift in a row, so it shouldn't have surprised her when his fingers brushed her clothed cunt.

Beth's mouth opened, somehow managing to suppress the moan that threatened to expose what was taking him so long. All of their guests remained oblivious, although Ruby sent a questioning look in her direction. It was the same one she gave when Beth announced her engagement, a mix of creased brows and rapid blinking. 

She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt since it was dark beneath the layers of lace and sequins, but then it happened again and this time Beth lightly swat the back of his head.

Rio chuckled as did a few guests who caught the moment. Soon Beth felt his tongue brush her leg, teeth holding onto the garter as he pulled it down to her ankle.

All of the men gathered across from where Beth now stood. The taller guys were up front and Mick settled in the back, not necessarily because it would bring him luck, but because he remembered how skilled Rio was with a slingshot when they were teenagers. 

_"You can't hit that fuckin' can from here" Mick said._

_Rio searched around in the dirt for another rock that was roughly the same size of the last. He placed it inside of the pouch and got himself into position._

_He closed one of his eyes to line the slingshot up with the target. Pulling his arm back a bit, he sent the rock flying into the soda can with precision, and like with all of their bets, the loser bought pizza. "What I say? Fuckin' 3 for 3"._

Rio stretched the garter with his thumbs, just enough so that it flew over the group's head and hit Mick directly in the chest. He felt it was only right that his best friend walked out a winner too. Rio was 4 for 4 now and couldn't wait to teach his future children how to do that.

Mick celebrated by putting the blue garter around his head, as much as he could, and taking a victory lap around the community center. He promised the bride and groom a dance at the reception and as much as they enjoyed the last one, Beth was more concerned with finding an open room in the building. A restroom, an office, at this point she would let Rio fuck her in a creepy basement filled with cobwebs and mannequins. 

Beth's friend from work, another waitress Mary volunteered to sit in the chair for Mick's performance. Good, with the heat pooling between Beth's legs she needed to pull Rio away. Mick signed up for weekend classes at the stripclub that were taught by Krystal. Annie was disappointed that she wasn't invited. She would've loved to learn her way around the pole and would be lying if she wasn't interested in seeing Krystal perform. It was natural, she was a beautiful woman and Annie appreciated that.

Rio on the other hand didn't know what to make of Mick's new hobby. He was proud of him for finding something besides bartending to be passionate about, but wondered if he should still be in charge of theme night at the bar. Rio could picture the marquee now, Magic Mick live!

Mary sat at the front table as _pour some sugar on me_ came over the speakers, yet another flashback to their bridal parties. The image of Mick in assless chaps was seared into their brains, and it took Ruby almost two days before she could even look him in the eye. There was nothing wrong with his performance, in fact it was great and maybe that's where the issue lied. It was Mick, their friend Mick, they weren't expecting to see all of him that night.

Mick started thrusting and moving his hips to the beat as he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. His foot was resting off to Mary's side, on the seat of the chair. More than half of the crowd watched on with anticipation, while a few others were horrified and likely questioning why they came to the reception in the first place. 

Halfway through Mick's performance, about the time he downed a flute of champagne, Beth reached for Rio's hand and glanced over her shoulder in the direction of their makeshift closet. It was where the guests put their jackets, purses and other personal items that they didn't want to carry around on the dance floor.

Rio's brows raised and he took one last look around at their guests before following Beth to the back of the room. They were certain that they weren't the first couple to sneak away from their reception, and it was technically all Rio's fault. If he stuck to the plan and kept his hands to himself, Beth wouldn't be _as_ worked up. She already had a lie prepared about her dress coming unzipped if they got caught.

Locking the door behind them, Rio turned to look Beth over again. His jaw had dropped the second she walked down the aisle. From the way her breasts looked under those sequins to how her hair kept falling in her face, she was perfect. Rio reached forward to tuck a loose curl behind her ear, "beautiful".

Beth flushed, "you've said that twice already".

"Gonna say it again too" Rio said, smiling as he gathered her dress in his hands.

She leaned against the door, taking her dress from him so that he could kneel in front of her. He placed her leg on his shoulder again, but this time Beth didn't need to adjust her dress every three seconds, fearing that she was flashing their guests. 

Beth held the fabric at her stomach as Rio brushed her panties to the side. All thoughts about keeping her voice down went out the tiny window when Rio's tongue grazed her clit.

Beth's head rolled back and bounced against the door. The bang made Rio pull away to check on her, "you good?".

"Mmhm–don't stop".

Rio guffawed with delight and resumed sucking her clit. They didn't have much time considering both the song and their guests were dying down.

Slipping in his second finger, Beth moaned louder than she intended too. "Ah.. god".

He tightened his hold on her thigh as she rode out her orgasm against his tongue. Beth was glad he held her up because her legs were trembling and her grasp on the doorknob was weak.

"I...I...um, I'll leave first," Beth breathed.

A huge smile formed on his face, "think they know, mama".

He was probably right.

Beth pulled him back to her by his tie and pushed up on her toes, pecking his lips a few times before he took control and cupped her face. She moaned into it when his tongue slipped between her lips.

Unlike Greg and Annie, they didn't have a fancy honeymoon planned. They might've had time to book a cabin in Detroit or plan a drive up to Canada if they discussed their feelings before the wedding, and if they didn't have to worry about Carlito.

His old crime boss was still in attendance, eating shrimp by the plateful and Beth had half the mind to have him deduct the cost from their debt. As the day went on, that idea sounded better and better. 

Rio could be romantic when he wanted to and he knew exactly what she liked to hear. During their first dance as husband and wife, he laid out plans for their upcoming weekend. 

They would grab take out from Hector's tacos, remove their clothes and spend the rest of their time in bed, learning _everything_ about each other.

_"You had me at Hector's tacos," Beth said, pulling away to smile at him._

_He mirrored it before giving her a quick twirl._

_Happiness, that's what she felt when he was around. Her father however was less than thrilled when Rio's hand slid down Beth's back and came to rest on her ass._

"Love birds, it's almost time to cut the cake" Greg yelled, knocking on the door. Annie must've been beside him because she could hear her asking if that was the way to bone town. 

Beth dropped her head onto Rio's shoulder, "we're coming".

Annie snorted, "we don't need the details".

She ran her hands down the front of her dress and then twisted her upper body to make sure it was down in the back. That's when Rio leaned in and whispered near her ear, "let's go, mrs. Vasquez".

_Elizabeth Vasquez, she liked the sound of that._

The rest of the evening flew by and once the director gave them the green light to take off, they all but sprinted out of the building. Beth passed Rio their garment bags and then bent down to undo her heel straps, preferring to go barefoot for the drive home.

Carlito tapped his knuckles on the side of Rio's BMW, startling Beth. He wanted to give them a last minute wedding gift, seeing as they went through with it. His goons were off in the distance, each with their own to-go-plate. "Congrats man, fuckin nice ceremony".

Beth tossed her shoes in the trunk and slammed it as loud as she could. She still refused to cower in front of the loan shark and didn't care for his intimidation tactics. 

"I'm givin' you a break and forgiving your debt".

"Really?" Beth asked. 

Carlito shook his head, "nah. I'll knock off $2,000 and the offer stands. Rejoin and you get a clean slate… think of your mom".

Rio's jaw tightened, his fist clenched at the sadistic grin on his former boss's face. One shot, that's all it would take to put this behind them for good, but Rio wasn't that man anymore and he wasn't going down that path again, not after everything in his life changed for the better. Beth reached for his hand, interlocking their fingers, "thank you. We'll need time to get it".

"All the time you need".

They drove to Hector's tacos in silence, both knowing that neither of them wanted to discuss what happened in the parking lot. They were a team now and she wasn't going to let him go through this alone. Hell, that was the plan even when she preferred to sleep rooms away from him. Rio was her husband and no slimy, sleazy asshole could get in the way of that.

Beth laid her hand palm up on his thigh and he took it, "I know it ain't Hawaii, but I'm gonna make this weekend special".

"Rio–" he hummed in response, keeping his eyes on the road, "you're here. It's special". 

The lavish hotels and trips around the world, that was Annie. It was all her sister was used to. Beth was more accustomed to eating ramen for months in order to make her car payment. She would be happy playing pool at the bar just as long as she was doing it with Rio.

They walked up the two flights of stairs and Rio had his hands full. He was determined to carry the bag of food and hold her hand as well. Beth unlocked the door with her freehand, but before she could enter, Rio lightly tugged on her hand. "Nuh uh, gotta carry you in".

Beth took the bag from him and squeaked in surprise when he picked her up. Carrying her over the threshold was easier than boning at the reception, at least this time around Beth didn't bump her head, and maybe it was because Rio reminded her to watch it.

The food was still warm and she could feel it through her jeans, so Beth dropped it the second they were close enough to the table. It landed with a loud thud, tipping over on its side. Rio wasn't worried about the plastic containers of hot sauce spilling, instead he carried Beth over to the couch and laid her down gently. 

"I call the extra jalapeno popper".

Sitting down beside her, Rio placed her legs on his lap so that she could remain against the armrest "is that right?".

Beth tore into the box and popped one into her mouth, letting out a small hiss when the heat hit her all at once, "y–you can have it".

She spit it out into a napkin and Rio couldn't help but laugh when she practically rolled off the couch to grab some water. 

"Hot?".

Beth nodded, finishing up the glass of water. "Holy shit, those have to be ghost peppers".

That wasn't the case at all. Ruby used to order poppers every girls night and would joke that Beth was a lightweight. She would attempt to prove them wrong only to regret it seconds later. Hector had decent hot sauce, so she assumed this time it would work out and boy was she wrong.

As Rio attempted to start eating, both deciding to avoid the poppers all together after the napkin incident, Beth retired to the bedroom and made sure to drop her blouse along the way. He was in there seconds after she was, brushing her hair off to the side to kiss her neck. He palmed her breasts, then let his hand slip down the front of her panties.

Beth's head rolled back onto his shoulder as his thumb brushed against her clit. Soft, breathless moans escaped her lips and it was like Rio's favorite song, he would never get tired of hearing it.

She whimpered at the loss when he removed his hand. While he removed his pants, she climbed onto the bed and sat against the headboard, rubbing her pussy to the sight before her. 

The bed dipped when Rio joined her. He settled between her legs and gave himself a few strokes, maintaining eye contact as he pushed inside her. 

It started out with their bodies as close as they could get. Rio slowly rocked his hips as Beth teased her tits, moaning loudly when Rio's hand replaced her own and began circling her clit.

Beth gripped the sheets when Rio's thrusts grew erratic. Both getting closer to release every time their hips met. "Shit–" she breathed, back aching slightly off the bed.

He bit down on his bottom lip, fingers digging into her hips. "Elizabeth.. I need –"

Beth touched his forearm, "yeah".

His body jerked twice as he came and she could feel it seeping out of her. It was stupid to continue on like that, but they always took the necessary steps afterwards.

Rio moved to the space beside her, too tired to remind her that she was laying on his side of the bed. Beth swallowed hard, letting out a tiny laugh as she tried to regain her breath. Rio wasn't having much luck in that department either, which Beth found out when she turned to her side and rested her head on his chest. His heart was pounding and there were scratches down his chest. 

"Sorry" Beth apologized, running her finger over one particularly red mark.

"Don't be".

■ 7 months later ■

Beth paced back and forth in their bathroom, glancing down every couple of seconds at her phone. "Is it time yet?".

"Still got a minute, mama".

There was a single pregnancy test on the counter and she was dying to see the results. They had been trying for months, reading absurd articles about which positions had the highest success rate and how frequently they should be having sex, only to get nowhere. Beth had peed on at least eight sticks over the past four months.

_Rio stopped to grab orange chicken and dumplings on the way home from the bar. Usually Beth was in the kitchen by that point, making cupcakes or brownies for work, but this time she was nowhere to be found._

_"Elizabeth? Where are you?"._

_There was a faint, "in here" that came from the bathroom, so he walked in that direction._

_He found Beth lying on the bathroom floor with what looked like a pregnancy test in her hand. "Is that?"._

_"I'm almost a week late so I thought –"_

_Rio gave a small nod and sat down beside her on the floor, not wanting to rush the conversation. Tears started to roll down her face, "we're not….I don't get it"._

_He helped her sit up and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. One day it would happen for them._

The annoying generic ringtone went off on Rio's phone, signaling that it was time to check the test. He continued to lean against the door while Beth went to the sink. She was nervous, almost as nervous as she was on their wedding day. This part never got easier.

With shaky hands, Beth picked the test up and couldn't believe her eyes, "we're…. pregnant". It was their luck that it would happen when they stopped trying. "We're having a baby".

Rio ran his hand over his face, equally overcome with happiness. He took three steps forward and placed his hand on her stomach.

"Christopher junior?" He suggested.

Beth placed her hand on top of his, "It's gonna be a girl".

The loan shark wasn't paid off, but Beth already thought of a plan to keep Carlito off their back for a while. They would give him a few of the wedding gifts that they kept as a downpayment. They each managed to put back $50 from each paycheck to make a small dent in the debt, but there was still $6,000 give or take that Carlito held over their heads.

Carlito seemed to care less about the money and more about Rio rejoining the gang, so she believed that he would accept the offer. They would have to build a nursery and baby proof the apartment, not to mention signing up for lamaze classes and Beth heard about pregnancy yoga in the park which sounded like fun. She was getting a little ahead of herself.

Rio brushed aside her bangs and kissed her, once again thankful that he agreed to Beth's crazy scheme. 

"Should we come clean and tell everyone about our fake fiancè plan?" Beth asked.

"Nah. I told you way back when I was gonna marry you".

That he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to do a part 2 to this universe, not sure how long it will be or when it will be up, but if you have any prompts or things you'd like to see included. I'm on tumblr @ xstrawmari.
> 
> And an extra thanks to MoneyraindownonU for constantly listening to my late night ramblings about this ff.


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